Worship Pastor / Composer Travis L. Boyd & wife, Cynthia, sharing faith, inspiration, & discipleship resources, plus music & more for worship ministry. * We also provide info about Worship Sounds Music, found at the links to our Publishers & Distributors ~ Choral Anthems * Solos * Orchestrations * Worship Songs * Accompaniment Trax (See blog sidebar)

Creativity in worship planning can be a bit more time-consuming and complicated, but it is a worthwhile investment of time. The easiest thing for us to do as worship leaders is to draw from a tried and true list of songs, occaSalem baptistry cross backlitsionally throwing in a new song. However, if we have been created in the image of God, He has given us the ability to create. He takes great delight in seeing his children follow in His footsteps, just as we are thrilled when our own children create something, whether it be a priceless work of preschool art, or the performance of an original piece of music.

As writers and worship leaders, we must challenge ourselves to be more creative, and help lead our people to do the same. It might be something as small as changing the service order, creating medleys of favorite worship songs, or utilizing different types of instrumentation on a song. For creativity to flourish in a church, the following attitudes are essential:

1. A willingness to take some risks, knowing that what we do might not be received enthusiastically at first by the congregation.

2. A willingness on the part of the worship team members to just listen sometimes. This might mean they don’t sing or play on every measure of every congregational or choral song on every service.

3. A willingness to put in some extra time to make the music the best it can be. It might mean we have to re-learn an old song in a new way.

4. A willingness to empower budding writers in our congregations to develop their skills, by utilizing their work whenever appropriate.

5. A willingness to discover and welcome new people onto our team, knowing they bring a valuable resource in their own creativity.

6. A willingness to keep learning. Even if we have been involved in worship leadership for a long time, there are always new, creative ways of thinking and doing. We must never stop learning.

Salem Chr choir h of the g 2017Creativity is God-given. What we do with it is up to us. We must ask ourselves, “How can I be used to reflect this incredible attribute of God?” We might just be surprised at how creative we can be when we take the time to allow God’s Spirit to direct and empower us. It will be a blessing both to our Heavenly Father and to our churches.

Here are seven ways that choirs can joyfully serve as worship leaders to strengthen and bring life to the ministry of worship.

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FBC Concord Choir, Knoxville, TN

A Choir can help to support congregational singing, allowing the congregation to sing more confidently and join their voices with those who are already singing.  In this way, choirs are helping to lead in worship.

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A Choir will help the congregation to know when they are supposed to sing.

When arrangements for the congregational singing are lead by a praise band, worship leader, and praise teams, sometimes people in the congregation become uncertain about when they are supposed to sing along.  A well prepared choir can help to prevent confusion as they assist in leading the service.  Since the choir will know when a verse or chorus is supposed to be sung as a solo and when everyone is supposed to sing, the congregation will begin to take their cue from the choir.

FBCD Sunday Night Live 2015 Choir and orch Hallelujah to the King T Rhe photo

As a part of a special Palm Sunday service, the FBC Duluth choir sings, “Hallelujah to the King”, under the direction of Travis L. Boyd.

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Choirs provide spiritual encouragement and inspiration to the church family.

When the life stories and faith journeys of the people who make up the choir are coupled with their faithful commitment to praising the Lord and leading in worship, the choir serves as a collective testimony of walking by faith.  The presence and praise of an individual who is walking through a trial and yet chooses to remain faithful as a choral worship leader can be a powerful message in itself.  Choir members are often some of the busiest church members, serving in mission opportunities, teaching Bible studies, working with youth, children, or preschoolers, and being vitally involved in church life.  This fact allows their ministry and testimony to have personal significance for a greater percentage of the church body.

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 “O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him; talk of all His wondrous works. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.”  ~ Psalm 105:1 – 3

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The 280 voice Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Brooklyn, NY, under the direction of Carol Cymbala, recorded 2 CDs in 2013,

The 280 voice Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Brooklyn, NY, under the direction of Carol Cymbala

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Church choirs can share messages of praise, reverent worship, testimony, exhortation, encouragement, comfort, thankfulness, and perseverance 
through the songs that they sing (both anthems and congregational worship songs).
Choral anthems often have lyrics that are full of scripture and Biblical truth, so the choir can share a message in song that is full of meaning in a way that can have even more impact than the spoken word because of the marriage of music and lyrics that amplifies the truths being shared.  The choir’s ministry is one of proclamation, praise, and encouragement  as they and the congregation “speak to one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”.

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 “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the Lord.”  ~ Psalm 104:33 & 34

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As worship leaders, the choir can also help the congregation to learn new songs and worship choruses 
by preparing them through rehearsal before they are introduced to the congregation.  The choir can help to introduce some of the new songs the first time that they are sung for the congregation, providing a strong demonstration of the melody and rhythm as the song is shared in worship.  It is possible to find choral arrangements of new worship songs that are in congregationally friendly keys, which also have chord and rhythm charts and even full orchestrations available.  These can be prepared as an anthem and introduced by the full worship team.  As the congregation becomes more familiar with the song, they can be invited to join in singing the worship song along with the same arrangement in future services.

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A choir can help to break down generational barriers in worship.

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Multi-generational Choir singing for “Sunday Night Live” at FBC, Duluth

The fact that choirs (and praise teams, rhythm sections, and orchestras) are often made up of young, median, and older adults (and sometimes students) communicates the message that the new song is a vehicle of praise and worship for the entire congregation, regardless of age.  As members of the worship leadership team, choir members have invested time in preparation for worship, both musically and spiritually as they have learned the new music.  Because they have rehearsed and lived with the lyrics of the songs being shared (both Anthems and congregational praise), choir members have the opportunity to internalize these messages of truth and to communicate them meaningfully, as a group that is visually representative of the church body (in age range and other factors) rather than just as professional musicians.

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 “O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”  ~ Psalm 95:1 – 7a

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The Mount Pleasant Christian Church Choir in Indianapolis, IN, directed by Brian Tabor, September, 2013.

The Mount Pleasant Christian Church Choir in Indianapolis, IN, directed by Brian Tabor, September, 2013.

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A Choir is uniquely equipped to share a message with maximum sensitivity, passion, and meaning.  There is nothing else like the sound of a well-prepared choir, and the secular music industry often employs a choir to maximize the impact of a powerful ballad or to visibly and audibly celebrate with an upbeat song.  Choirs are often seen in the music videos and television appearances of pop stars, on music specials, and at events where the entertainment is an extravagant production, such as an Olympic opening ceremony or even a Super Bowl halftime show.  If secular entertainment still values the impact that a choir can make, those of us who love and worship the Lord should realize that choral singing can be a an effective testimony of God’s goodness that can touch the hearts of a congregation (and of others who hear them when they sing in public places).

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Ideally, the worship leading choir will commit themselves to be both spiritually and musically prepared to praise the Lord and to encourage and inspire God’s people.  Because of their heart for the Lord and the investment of time in preparation, a choir can be a living, vibrant team of worship leaders,  messengers of hope and praise who minister and serve to bring glory to the Lord.

In addition to the benefits of having a worship leading choir that have already been shared, there is Biblical support for choral worship ministry.  Since there are many Biblical accounts of choirs, and since 55 Psalms are written to the Choir Director or Director of Music; there is certainly a Biblical precedent for choral worship.  In addition, the Biblical exhortation to use our gifts to honor and bring glory to the Lord calls for opportunities for those who are a part of our congregations and who have musical gifts to serve and contribute to the ministry of worship.  What these service opportunities for those with a worship ministry calling may be in an individual congregation depends upon the musical gifts that are present among members who are willing to faithfully serve in worship ministry.  A smaller congregation might have a choral ensemble rather than a full choir, in addition to their praise band or accompanists.  Larger churches may regularly have a full choir and perhaps an instrumental ensemble or orchestra in addition to their rhythm section, praise band, and / or accompanists.  Some churches may use a choir to help serve as worship leaders, having the choir may sing a choral anthem only occasionally.  Some churches also use choirs only seasonally (a special Christmas program, for example).

The First Baptist Concord Choir, Knoxville, TN, directed by Jeff Lawrence.

The First Baptist Concord Choir, Knoxville, TN, directed by Jeff Lawrence.

Every congregation is different, and no one can prescribe what your church should be doing in musical worship from the outside.  Your ministerial leadership is more in tune with the musical and spiritual gifts of your congregation and to the music that speaks to the hearts of your congregation as well as to the visitors and seekers that your church can reach.

We encourage the ministry of choral singing in churches where it can be shared effectively to praise, encourage, inspire, lift up, exhort, challenge, and lead in worship.

Although choirs have been eliminated in some congregations,  churches are beginning to re-examine the impact that a choir can have in a worship service.  This fact creates a challenge and an opportunity for those who believe strongly that choral singing can be a valid, effective, and exciting part of worship ministry. Existing choirs can strengthen their ministry, and new choirs can focus on effective ministry from the beginning.

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“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”   ~  I Corinthians 10:31  NASB 

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First Baptist Church of Duluth Adult Choir, Duluth, GA, directed by Travis L. Boyd

First Baptist Church of Duluth Adult Choir, December, 2013, directed by Travis L. Boyd, singing the upbeat final song in the Travis Cottrell Christmas worship musical, “Joy of Every Longing Heart”.

Blessings to you as you seek to strengthen the ministry of worship at your church in whatever direction the Lord leads.

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“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to the sons of men! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!”  ~ Psalm 107:21 & 22

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“Above, the hosts of angels sing praise; below, men form choirs in the churches and imitate them by singing the same doxology.  Above, the seraphim cry out in the thrice-holy hymn; below, the human throng sends up the same cry.  The inhabitants of heaven and earth are brought together in a common assembly; there is one thanksgiving, one shout of delight, one joyful chorus.”  ~  St. John Chrysostom

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love like Jesus

Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help you find answers to life’s deepest questions.

Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:
http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

For all of the victims of hate, and for those who choose to love…

What Hate does…

Hate plots and plans.
Hate does not dream.
It festers,
And it coldly schemes.

Instead of seeking to enjoy life,
Hate calculates how to destroy life.

Hate sees the options that are worst,
Inflicting pain, and causing hurt.
Hate never puts another first.

Hate explodes in rage-filled gore.
Hate thrives when reason loses.
Hate kills the promise it consumes
For anyone it chooses.

Hate is a thief of life and love,
An enemy of joy.
Hate has come to kill and steal,
It’s purpose: to destroy.

Hate ruins those who harbor it,
Hate’s fury is a cancer.
Hate eats a soul from the inside out.
Hate is not the answer.

by Cynthia A. Boyd
March, 2016

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What Love does…

Love is joyful in the giving.
Love is hopeful in the living.
Love is patient, Love is kind
Love keeps other hearts in mind.

Love can’t wait to help another.
Love lifts up a fallen brother.

Love sees the good in everyone,
Encouraging those in need.
Love goes beyond the surface
To be a friend, indeed.

Love binds up wounds,
Eases distress,
Comforts and prays,
Longs for the best.

Love rejoices in the truth.
Love understands the confusion of youth.

Love is a giver who never gives in.
Love knows that peace is the way to win.
Love conquers hatred.
Love drives out fear.
Love gathers loved ones,
Love holds them dear.

Love knows that only in dying to self
And embracing God’s salvation,
Can we truly love others as Jesus loves us
and become His new creation.

By Cynthia A. Boyd
March, 2016

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Love gives

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love like Jesus

Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help you find answers to life’s deepest questions.

Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:
http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

When the very living of our lives has become an act of worship, recognizing God’s supremacy and worth in every decision and thought, worship is no longer an action but rather a lifestyle.  It’s a 24 / 7 / 365 … every moment of every day … goal of intentionally expressing God’s glory in all that we do, think, and say.**   In seeking to live out this lifestyle and this heart commitment to the One who has given us His all, we give the only gift that we can give to our Creator and Savior:  the gift of a transformed life that brings Him glory and joy!

Here are The “Giving Verses” of Worship:

1.  Giving God THANKSGIVING and PRAISE!

* Psalm 100:4   “Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, and bless His name.”

* Psalm 9:1 & 2   “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart: I will tell of all Thy wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and exult in Thee, I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High.”

2.  Giving God GLORY!

* Psalm 86:12   “With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever.”

* Psalm 96:6 – 9   “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”

3.  Giving God AWE and REVERENCE, acknowledging Him as the Lord and Creator of all.

(In some verses and some translations, “the fear of the Lord”)

* Psalm 111:10   “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

* Psalm 86:9 – 12   “All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.  For You are great, and You do wondrous things; You alone are God.  Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.  I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; and I will glorify Your name forever.”

4.  Giving God BLESSING.

* Psalm 103:22   “Bless the LORD, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the LORD, O my soul!”

* Psalm 28:6 & 7   “Blessed be the Lord!  for He has heard the voice of my supplications.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”

5.  Giving Him EXALTATION!*

From the www.thefreedictionary.com, here are the applicable definitions:

1. to raise or elevate in rank, position, dignity, etc.
2. to praise highly; glorify; extol
* Psalm 34:3   “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”

*NOTE:  The word ‘exaltation’ sometimes gets confused with ‘exultation’, for which the definition is “to rejoice greatly, be jubilant or triumphant (or, as in triumph.  We rejoice greatly or exult in His triumph.)  — same source

6.  Giving Him SERVICE
(giving of our hearts, our time, our gifts, and our lives in serving Him)

* Joshua 24:15   “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

7.  Giving Him WORSHIP!

True worship rises up from the people of God, who are choosing to intentionally express His infinite worth! **

**(see note at end of post)

You have probably noticed by now that there is some overlap in the various types of giving to the Lord.  For example, in singing praise to God, we can bless His name.  In the worship category of giving, there is overlap with all other types of giving.  All of these ways of giving to the Lord are worship (lifestyle worship) when we are giving with the purpose of bringing glory to God and expressing His infinite worth through giving our best to God in every area of our lives.

* Psalm 29:2   “Honor the LORD for the glory of His name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.”

* John 4:24   “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

8.  We are to SING UNTO HIM!

* Psalm 5:11   “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.”

* Psalm 30:4   “Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name.”

* Psalm 59:16 & 17   “I will sing of Thy power; yes, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning; for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.  Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing; for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy.”  

9.  Giving Him TITHES and OFFERINGS!

* Malachi 3:10   “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

* Exodus 35:29   “The children of Israel brought a voluntary offering to Jehovah, every man and woman whose heart prompted them to bring for all manner of work, which Jehovah, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.”

10.  Giving Him HONOR!

* Revelation 4:11   “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

* Psalm 96:6 – 9   “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”

* Proverbs 3:9   “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income.”

11.  Giving Him LOVE!

The words of Jesus Himself in Mark 12:30   “AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.”

* Psalm 31:23   “Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.”

* Joshua 22:5   “But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”

* Psalm 116:1   “I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.”

12.  Giving Him OUR WHOLE HEART AND LIFE!

* Psalm 86:9 – 12    “All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.  For You are great, and You do wondrous things; You alone are God.  Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.  I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; and I will glorify Your name forever.”

* Colossians 1:10   “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

* Psalm 56:13   “For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.”

* Mark 8:35   “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”

* Romans 12:1 – 2  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

For us, giving these to God (worship, blessing, exaltation, thanksgiving, praise, glory, awe and reverence, love, honor, service, tithes and offerings, songs, and all that we are in life and in our hearts) is our gift of worship and devotion to Him.
Giving is about worship, and worship is all about giving.

“Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”‘   Psalm 96:6 – 9

GOD HAS GIVEN HIS ALL… and continues to give in every moment of time.

May we follow His example.

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**Here is a link to John Piper’s devotion where this definition of worship, paraphrased here, can be found:  http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/bodies-breakfast-and-the-marriage-bed

The wording of the original definition (directly quoted) in the first paragraph of this devotion is as follows:

“Worship” is the term we use to cover all the acts of the heart and mind and body that intentionally express the infinite worth of God. This is what we were created for, as God says in Isaiah 43:7, “Everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory…” That means that we were all created for the purpose of expressing the infinite worth of God’s glory. We were created to worship.”

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This post was written by C. Boyd.

For other posts on worship, view our category called “Worship with Wonder” athttps://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/category/worship-with-wonder/

We also have a page entitled “Lifestyle Worship”  at this link: http://wwwworshipsounds.wordpress.com/lifestyle-worship

The titles of additional pages related to worship ministry (on topics such as creative worship ideas, worship planning and preparation, and avoiding burnout in ministry) can be found in the header on our home page at the bottom of the scenic photo.

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Do you know Jesus?

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus. http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

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How do you know for sure that you really are a Worship Pastor?  Here’s a sometimes humorous and sometimes serious look at twelve ways to be sure of your calling to lead God’s people in worship.

I am with you always12  When you were called to ministry, you had no idea of the multitude of hats you would wear as a Worship Pastor.  (Some of them may include:  Technical Problem Trouble Shooter, Peacemaker, Calendar Coordinator, Instrument Repair Technician, Set Designer and Builder, Script Writer, Liaison to the Decorating Committee, Video Editor, Music Arranger, and others too numerous to mention, depending upon what is needed at your place of service.)  The blessing that you recall while juggling your responsibilities is that you are never alone, no matter what hat you may be wearing on any given day.  The Lord, your refuge, is with you… in everything that you do in His name and for the sake of the Kingdom.

11  Because you are up front and leading God’s people, they really notice (and comment on) what you wear.  Whether you are a skinny jeans and plaid shirt wearing Worship Pastor in a contemporary church, or whether you wear a suit every Sunday leading worship in a more traditional congregation, people do notice.

10  When you get together with ministry colleagues who serve in the same vocational ministry calling in their own churches, you love the fellowship time; but the main thing that you want to do together is make music and worship the Lord.

9You are very familiar with the initials CCLI, and somewhere in your office is a stack of browser packs from music publishers.*

*  Note:  CCLI is the copyright and licensing service for Christian music, which enables churches to legally project song lyrics onto screens and print them in church bulletins.  Churches must report the songs used, and all of that information is compiled to pay royalties for the usage of songs to composers and publishers.  The information is also compiled into lists of most frequently used songs from different genres, with links to different versions.  These lists can be very helpful for worship pastors.

8  Your planning tools for worship include your Bible, prayer, hymn and song books, worship song charts, your anthem and orchestration library, your praise band or rhythm section calendar showing who is in town for a given Sunday, your vocal team list and calendar, your soloist list and current rotation, your worship log of recent services and the songs sung, your choir and orchestra worship personnel responses to calendar queries as to which Sundays they will be gone, responses to that week’s worship team e-mail, information about your Pastor’s sermon series and special ministry emphases, online music resources, your available tech team members list, and information about any special additions to the service such as baptisms or a baby dedication.

7  You can rattle off a list of every piece of equipment in your sound and tech booth and who runs each one.  You also know the quirks of each of your worship related computer programs.

6  You are called as a Pastor to those who lead in worship and often know the true testimony behind every message in song that is shared.  In this area of your ministry, you are often amazed by the strength and faith of God’s people, undergirded by the everlasting arms of the Faithful One, our Refuge, Helper, Redeemer and Lord..

5  Hallway encounters or greetings called out across the parking lot don’t always include a “hello”.  Sometimes they are statements or questions like these:  “Why can’t we sing “Oceans” every week?” or “More southern gospel!”  or “Why don’t you let _____ sing a solo more often?”

4  You can spend hours and hours seeking music that is congregationally friendly and will lift up the Lord while engaging the hearts of your people.  You can spend weeks preparing for a specific service through prayer, planning, calendar coordination, recording demos for your team, and rehearsing.  You can spend months working with your groups to move them a step closer to a point of excellence in leading worship that you feel is their calling (such as challenging them to sing from memory with only a confidence monitor and no music in hand).  You can spend years leading your congregation to understand worship and to go deeper in their relationship with and their worship of the Lord.  And yet, on any given Sunday, the “delivery” of the worship message through God’s people and the authentic connection with the Lord during worship are dependent primarily on the commitment level, worship mindset, preparation , and passion of the volunteers who make up your worship team, leading a congregation who may or may not be wholly focused on worship during that time.

3  Thou shalt not age (or appear to age), but thou must be wise beyond thy years in order to balance a multitude of preferences with real ministry to the body of Christ, having the goal of providing the opportunity for true worship that ministers to all and gives them an opportunity to give unto the Lord the praise, honor, thanksgiving, and glory due His name.

2  With all of the hours that you spend every week living and breathing worship, planning worship, reading articles and blog posts about worship (gotcha!), planning or leading rehearsals to prepare for worship, reading and studying worship scriptures and books about worship, praying about worship, personally spending time in private worship, and preparing detailed order of worship information for your worship team, tech team, and ministry staff… sometimes it’s hard to let go of all of the ministry mentor concerns about what everyone else is doing in their worship leading or tech responsibilities … and just worship.

1 Worship is a passionate pursuit of God's gloryYou can’t imagine doing anything else and are so thankful for the privilege of being entrusted with the task of leading God’s people in worship and working with all of the wonderful worship ministry team members, who have their own gifting and calling to serve.  It is a joy for you to encounter both the human and the divine in the process of preparation for worship.  During rehearsal, you embrace the human element of needing to practice in order to eliminate error and to interpret the music well, both musically and spiritually.  You also embrace the divine as you pray with your people, love them, work together as unto the Lord, and lead them in sharing messages of profound, eternal truth, knowing that the goal is effectiveness and whole-hearted devotion in communication with the Lord and with His people rather than perfection.  Even on tough days, you know that you have found God’s purpose for your life and are amazed by the blessing of walking with Him through it all.

So, keep on giving it your all, Worship Pastors and Ministers of Music and Worship.  

Your calling is all about worship, and worship is all about giving.

23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.  24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. ~ Colossians 3:23 – 24

(To inspire you as you worship, work, love others, serve, and continue to lead God’s people, we have added the “giving verses” of worship to the end of this post.  They can also be found as a portion of the text from our blog post entitled, “Worship… It’s all about Giving!”)

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The “Giving Verses” of Worship

When the very living of our lives has become an act of worship, recognizing God’s supremacy and worth in every decision and thought, worship is no longer an action but rather a lifestyle.  It’s a 24 / 7 / 365 … every moment of every day … goal of intentionally expressing God’s glory in all that we do, think, and say.**   In seeking to live out this lifestyle and this heart commitment to the One who has given us His all, we give the only gift that we can give to our Creator and Savior:  the gift of a transformed life that brings Him glory and joy!

1.  Giving God THANKSGIVING and PRAISE!

* Psalm 100:4   “Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”

* Psalm 9:1 & 2   “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart: I will tell of all Thy wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and exult in Thee, I will sing praise to Thy name, O Most High.”

2.  Giving God GLORY!

* Psalm 86:12   “With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever.”

* Psalm 96:6 – 9   “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”

3.  Giving God AWE and REVERENCE, acknowledging Him as the Lord and Creator of all.

(In some verses and some translations, “the fear of the Lord”)

* Psalm 111:10   “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

* Psalm 86:9 – 12   “All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.  For You are great, and You do wondrous things; You alone are God.  Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.  I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; and I will glorify Your name forever.”

4.  Giving God BLESSING.

* Psalm 103:22   “Bless the LORD, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the LORD, O my soul!”

* Psalm 28:6 & 7   “Blessed be the Lord!  for He has heard the voice of my supplications.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”

5.  Giving Him EXALTATION!*

From the www.thefreedictionary.com, here are the applicable definitions:

1. to raise or elevate in rank, position, dignity, etc.
2. to praise highly; glorify; extol
* Psalm 34:3   “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!”

*NOTE:  The word ‘exaltation’ sometimes gets confused with ‘exultation’, for which the definition is “to rejoice greatly, be jubilant or triumphant (or, as in triumph.  We rejoice greatly or exult in His triumph.)  — same source

6.  Giving Him SERVICE
(giving of our hearts, our time, our gifts, and our lives in serving Him)

* Joshua 24:15   “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Lift up His name!

7.  Giving Him WORSHIP!

True worship rises up from the people of God, who are choosing to intentionally express His infinite worth! **

**(see note at end of post)

You have probably noticed by now that there is some overlap in the various types of giving to the Lord.  For example, in singing praise to God, we can bless His name.  In the worship category of giving, there is overlap with all other types of giving.  All of these ways of giving to the Lord are worship (lifestyle worship) when we are giving with the purpose of bringing glory to God and expressing His infinite worth through giving our best to God in every area of our lives.

* Psalm 29:2   “Honor the LORD for the glory of His name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.”

* John 4:24   “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

8.  We are to SING UNTO HIM!

* Psalm 5:11   “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.”

* Psalm 30:4   “Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name.”

* Psalm 59:16 & 17   “I will sing of Thy power; yes, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning; for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.  Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing; for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy.”  

9.  Giving Him TITHES and OFFERINGS!

* Malachi 3:10   “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

* Exodus 35:29   “The children of Israel brought a voluntary offering to Jehovah, every man and woman whose heart prompted them to bring for all manner of work, which Jehovah, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.”

10.  Giving Him HONOR!

* Revelation 4:11   “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

* Psalm 96:6 – 9   “Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”

* Proverbs 3:9   “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income.”

11.  Giving Him LOVE!

The words of Jesus Himself in Mark 12:30   “AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.”

* Psalm 31:23   “Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.”

* Joshua 22:5   “But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the LORD your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.”

* Psalm 116:1   “I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.”

Give Him your heart

12.  Giving Him OUR WHOLE HEART AND LIFE!

* Psalm 86:9 – 12    “All the nations You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.  For You are great, and You do wondrous things; You alone are God.  Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.  I give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with my whole heart; and I will glorify Your name forever.”

* Colossians 1:10   “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

* Psalm 56:13   “For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.”

* Mark 8:35   “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”

* Romans 12:1 – 2  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

For us, giving these to God (honor, blessing, exaltation, thanksgiving, praise, glory, awe and reverence, love, honor, service, tithes and offerings, songs, and all that we are in life and in our hearts) is our gift of worship and devotion to Him.
Giving is about worship, and worship is all about giving.

“Honor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.  O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; fear before Him, all the earth.”‘   Psalm 96:6 – 9

GOD HAS GIVEN HIS ALL… and continues to give in every moment of time.

May we follow His example.

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**Here is a link to John Piper’s devotion where this definition of worship, paraphrased here, can be found:  http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/bodies-breakfast-and-the-marriage-bed

The wording of the original definition (directly quoted) in the first paragraph of this devotion is as follows:

“Worship” is the term we use to cover all the acts of the heart and mind and body that intentionally express the infinite worth of God. This is what we were created for, as God says in Isaiah 43:7, “Everyone who is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory…” That means that we were all created for the purpose of expressing the infinite worth of God’s glory. We were created to worship.”

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This post was written by C. Boyd.

For other posts on worship, view our category called “Worship with Wonder” at https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/category/worship-with-wonder/

We also have a page entitled “Lifestyle Worship”  at this link:  http://wwwworshipsounds.wordpress.com/lifestyle-worship

The titles of additional pages related to worship ministry (on topics such as creative worship ideas, worship planning and preparation, and avoiding burnout in ministry) can be found in the header on our home page at the bottom of the scenic photo.

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Do you know Jesus?

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

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Many people wonder

(when they allow themselves to think about it),

Why do I need a Savior?”

This is actually a very good question.

*  Asking the “why” question shows that you are a thinking person who tries to do the right things, as you understand them.

*  Asking why a Savior is needed shows your openness to hear an answer.

*  Asking why means that you have enough curiosity to wonder what all of the Jesus talk is really about.

Asking “why?” means you are really close to understanging why…

if  you are brave enough to hear the answer.

Are you brave enough to learn the truth about why we all need a Savior?

If the answer is “YES,” there are three very short statements (4 words or less) to tell the reasons why we need a Savior.

THREE  SIMPLE  REASONS
FOR  UNDERSTANDING  THE  ANSWER  TO  THE  “WHY”  QUESTION

So, why do you
(and I, and everyone else in the world)

need a Savior?

1  Reason #1

  GOD  IS  HOLY.

  We really already know this.  Something deep inside tells us that there is a Someone who is somehow more loving, who is perfect and right.  When we think about the opposite scenario, it just makes sense that if  there was a God who was not holy, He would delight in constantly tormenting us and would force us to fear and respect and worship Him.  We would be living in constant fear, and we would not be able to choose how we want to live our lives.  We would not have any enjoyment in life if  God were evil.  The very fact that beauty and goodness exist at all is proof of the goodness and holiness of God.  A god who was evil and all powerful would not want us to have anything goodUnfortunately, we allow the good things that do exist in life (and the evils that we choose) to substitute for knowing our holy, righteous, just, and loving God.

How we say it:

We say things that reveal what our hearts know (voicing the truth that God has placed inside each of us about His holiness) when we feel inadequate, when we mess up, when we have hurt someone, when we have done something foolish, or when we have been selfish.
And, this is what we say, “I’m not God.”  or  “I’m only human.” 

This is how the Bible says it:

“But the LORD Almighty will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by His righteous acts.”  ~  Isaiah 5:16

“I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.”  ~  Leviticus 11:44a

“I will show my greatness and my holiness. I will reveal myself to many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”  Ezekiel 38:23

“The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.”  ~  Psalm 145:17

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.”  ~  I John 1:5

2  Reason #2

  PEOPLE  ARE  NOT  HOLY.

  It certainly is not difficult to recognize the truth of this statement.  All we have to do is to watch the evening news to see that people often deliberately choose to do terrible things.  In addition, as we look into our own hearts and consider the lives of people we know (even those whom we love), it becomes obvious that our motivations are not always pure.  Sometimes we are nice to someone because we want a favor.  Sometimes we are impatient or hateful, even with friends and loved ones.  Even people who are really trying to live a good life make mistakes, and we are all aware that our “goodness” is never 100%.

Nobody's perfect, Charlie BrownThis is how we voice the truth that people are not holy:
“Well, nobody’s perfect!”

When we make the statement that “nobody’s perfect”, we are actually in agreement with what the Bible says on this subject.

Here is what the Bible says about us:

“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him (Jesus) the sins of us all.”  ~ Isaiah 53:6

“For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  ~  Romans 3:23

10 As it is written:There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.'”  ~ Romans 3, verses 10 and 11

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”  ~  John 3:19

“Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”  ~  Ecclesiastes 7:20

3  Reason #3

  WE  CANNOT  SAVE  OURSELVES!

  We have a problem that we can’t solve on our own.

There   is   a    h u g e                                         G A P_______________   between

God’s perfect holiness  __________and__________ our sinful unholiness.

This gap prevents us from being in close relationship with God.  This huge gap, or separation between us and God exists because we cannot begin to understand who He is with such a big barrier to relationship, and He cannot relate Himself to us while we are in our unholy state.  When the gap (or separation) is present, it’s more than just a divide.

You see, having a Savior is not just a ticket to Heaven.  Having a Savior is for this earthly life, too.  Because God wants us to know Him.  He wants us to know how much He loves us and how He is always working for our good.  He is not a distant Creator.  Rather, He is constantly sustaining life and hope, constantly giving and forgiving, and constantly working for the good of those who love Him.  He wants us to begin to know Him as He is… the loving Father and Lord of all Creation.

God already knows everything about us.  The Bible says that He even knows the number of hairs on our heads.  He wants the barrier of unholiness to be removed from our lives so that we can know Him.

Only then will we begin to:

Understand spiritual truth,
Receive spiritual life (even right now, while the Earth is still our home),
and finally
Be given the free gift of eternal life in Heaven through God’s provision of a way for our unholiness to become pure holiness.

All of this… the truth and life that we need and the way to become holy so that we can someday live in a holy place (Heaven) without our presence making it unholy…

ALL  of this can come to us only through Jesus, when we accept God’s free gift of salvation and pray to ask Jesus to become our own Savior and Lord.  Jesus is already THE Savior and THE Lord, but He will not become your Savior and Lord until you see your need for Him and ask Him.

HERE’S WHAT JESUS SAID about why we need Him:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  ~ John 14:6

 WE  NEED  LIFE! 

Our separation from God means that we have no spiritual understanding because we have no spiritual life.

Here’s what the Bible says about that:

“Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him.”  ~  Ephesians 4:18
(Notice the phrase, “the life God gives”.  This refers to spiritual life (being alive in spirit) as well as to eternal life.  Without spiritual life there is no spiritual understanding.)

4 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  ~  Ephesian 2:4 – 6

(Note:  In the second scripture above, the phrase,  “dead in our transgressions” refers to the natural state of mankind… spiritual death, or the absence of spiritual life that results from being separated from God, who is the Source of life.
Notice also that verses 4 and 5 refer to the great love God has for us, even when we are in this state.

“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”  ~  I John 5:1

WE  NEED  TO  KNOW  THE TRUTH!

 WE  NEED  DIRECTION!   

WE  NEED  TO  KNOW  THE  WAY.

Being separated from God also means we are on the wrong road and that He cannot “deliver us from temptation” (save us from the attractive power of sin) because we have chosen the way of sin and spiritual death over choosing God and His way.  So, when we do not have a Savior, we don’t have God’s power within us to enable us to overcome the power of sin, which, as the Bible says, “may seem pleasureable for a while,” but is always ultimately destructive to lives, health, stability, and relationships.

In other words, we are heading in the wrong direction because we don’t yet know that God’s way is the right way and the best way for us.   Being separated from God means that we are on that path of seeking pleasure.  There is an emptiness inside us, and we are continually trying to fill it with things, experiences, pleasures, relationships, and prestige.  However, all we continue to find is emptiness; because what our soul really needs is spiritual life, plus direction and power for living that come from God (through His Holy Spirit within us) after we have been spiritually re-born.

In order for spiritual rebirth to happen, we must first realize that we are on  the wrong road and decide that we want to live in relationship with God through Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord

Here’s what the Bible says about that:

We are lost and on the wrong road, confused and in danger; but God does not want this to be our fate.
“When he saw the crowds, He
(Jesus) had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  ~  Matthew 9:36

We can only be saved through spiritual re-birth, which is possible because Jesus was willling to die to pay the penalty for our sins.  It’s as though a judge pronounces you guilty because he is a just judge, but then he steps out from behind his podium and pays the penalty for you becuase he is also a merciful judge.
“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
  ~  Titus 3:5

We can only be free from the power of sin during our earthly lives through God’s Holy Spirit, living within us after we are spiritually reborn.
“And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
  ~  Romans 8:2

“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”  ~  Romans 6:14

When we are trying to find our way, all we have to do is look to Jesus.  He alone can provide salvation, which is the only way of escape from the power of sin and the eventual penalty for sin.

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ~ John 14:6

 Remember that in our state of being without Jesus, we are separated from God, which means that we cannot discern truth about God and about spiritual matters without help.  That is why God sends His Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts about the truth of God’s plan of salvation.  It is also why God’s Holy Spirit comes to live within us when we have trusted Christ for our salvation.  We need divine help in our process of becoming more like Jesus.

We have looked at the ways that Jesus will make a difference in this life.  As the scriptures above reveal, a person who has trusted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior has received God’s mercy and been washed and reborn through the Holy Spirit.  In addition, he or she has been freed from the power of sin.  This does not mean that we will have a future of complete sinless perfection on Earth.  Rather, it means that when we trust God and turn to Him for strength in our everyday lives, He will help us to gain victory over temptation.  No Christian does this perfectly because we are all in a process of growing in our faith and in our relationship with the Lord.  However, God’s power is available to us if we will only seek HIM.  It’s when we try to handle things on our own that we mess up.

Help in this earthly life is certainly one of the reasons that we need Jesus.  The other reason is that without Him, we cannot enter Heaven.

  HEAVEN  IS  A  HOLY  PLACE  WHERE  NO  SIN  CAN  BE  FOUND
  … but on Earth, we are living with the consequences of our own sinfulness (both individually and collectively).

The Bible says that Heaven is unimaginable to us because we have never experienced anything like it.  We would not even have the words to describe it, because it is unlike anything we have every seen or heard or known.

“But as it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”  ~  I Corinthians 2:9

“Instead, they were longing for a better country–a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”  ~  Hebrews 11:6

Obviously, Heaven would not be Heaven if it were to become unholy.  If there were still sorrow and pain and jealousy and hatred, along with crimes committed and people being victimized, it would certainly not be heaven.  People would have to be changed in some way to make it possible for them to become holy so that they can live in relationship with God while on the earth and then live with Him forever in Heaven.

So, if people are going to overcome the sin barrier to relationship with God and eventually be there, how do they become fit for Heaven?

Here are a couple of ideas that many people have about heaven.

Idea #1:  If you do more good than bad during your lifetime, you will go to Heaven.

Many, many people believe this idea, but it is false.

Remember that Heaven is a holy place.  Holy means totally free of sin.

Idea #2:  Heaven will be what I want it to be.

Often, people say, “This is Heaven!” when tasting something delicious or experiencing something delightful.  However, anything good that we have experienced on earth will pale in comparison to what Heaven is really like.  Even if God were to describe Heaven for us, we wouldn’t understand it until we get there.  We have no frame of reference, nothing even approaching an equal, for comparison.  Imagine trying to describe Disney World to a young child who has lived all his life in a primitive village.  The only way he would really understand how amazing the place is would be to actually go there.  It is the same way with Heaven.  Imagine all of the best and most beautiful parts of life and of God’s creation, without any of the bad things that we experience here on Earth.  It’s all of that and more… multiplied by infinity.

Did you know that God wants YOU to experience Heaven?

He does not want you to miss out on relationship with Him now, and He doesn’t want you to miss all that He has prepared in Heaven for those who love Him.  

Here’s what the Bible says about that:

The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.  ~ 2nd Peter 3:9

In other words, God is patient with this crazy, mixed up world and with all of the people in it, even though we are now experiencing sin and hurt and pain, because what He has to give us (everlasting life, abundant life on Earth, and living forever with Him in Heaven, fully experiencing His great love for us and the wonder that He has created) is so much greater than anything that  we could imagine.  It will more than make up for any temporary pain in this life.  It will be infinitely beyond the best we could imagine… forever.  He loves us and wants us to know and experience all of this.  He is waiting to finally make everything right (He is a God of justice after all) because God loves you more than you can imagine and because He is a God of mercy.  Even though He is absolutely Holy and could demand anything from us, He loves mercy (and showing mercy to everyone who will accept this free gift) much more than He loves having everything on Earth be perfectly right.

Think about it for a moment.

If God had allowed us to experience Heaven without living on Earth first or a Heaven-like experience on Earth, something would have had to be fundamentally different.

Either we  would have to be created without the capacity to sin, which would have meant that we would have no free will.

or

God would have to render immediate judgement for every wrong that we did, making us fear Him so much that we would behave rightly to avoid punishment.

For a God who loves us and wants us to experience His love, harsh and immediate judgement was not His way.  Neither was it His desire to rob mankind of choice.  So, he lets us choose, delays His judgement, and yet provides us with a way to overcome evil and temptation on Earth through His power when we accept His provision of a Savior… His own Son’s death substituting for any judgement we would have faced….

All we have to do is to admit that we need Him… that we have sinned against God by choosing our own way.  Then, we need to accept this free gift of salvation, believing that Jesus is God’s Son, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, was buried and then raised from the dead, so that He could be the Savior whose death paid the penalty for the sins of all mankind and the Lord of life and giver of eternal life for all who trust Him with their hearts and souls and lives.

Here are some more verses from the Bible about how much God loves us and what He wants to do in our lives.

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:10
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!

Romans 8:32
He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all–how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:34
Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding (praying) for us.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Dear friend, we all need a Savior.

We need a Savior because God is Holy.
We need a Savior because we are not holy.
We need a Savior because we cannot save ourselves.

Only Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

*  He will show you the way (and indeed has provided the way of salvation for you through His own death, burial, and resurrection, exchanging His life for yours as the payment for your sins).
*  He will reveal the truth to you.  Through the sending of God’s Holy Spirit after salvation, through relationship with Him, and through the teaching of God’s word, you will be led into all truth.
*  He will provide spiritual life and eternal life for you.

Would you like to know more?  Here’s a link to our page that has many resources for you.  There are links to answer all of the questions that you may have.  Blessings to you as you seek the truth and the answers to your questions.  Every person ultimately has to decide:  what will I do about Jesus?

Do You Know Jesus?

Do you know Jesus? 

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  The blog page found at the link above will help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.

Thank you for taking the time to read the above blog post. May God bless you with understanding and faith.

When I consider

It is the most important question ever asked:

Does God exist? 

And, if there is a God, what does that mean for me?

If a person is willing to consider the possibility that there may be a God… a supreme and all-powerful being… there are 7 things that it is possible to know about this Deity without ever opening a Bible.  Just thinking about the world and what we know of the universe (how things and creatures are made and how they function) can reveal these observations of fact to anyone who is open-minded enough to consider them.

1First, if there is an all-powerful God, He is good.

This is a relatively easy truth to discern.  An all-powerful God could do whatever He wished to do.  Therefore, if God were evil, He would delight in torturing His creation.  This torture would go far beyond the sorrows caused by the most common and tragic (man-made) circumstances we currently experience, such as:
* man’s inhumanity to man, including any kind of abuse
* crimes we commit against each other,
* emotional hurts that we inflict upon one another,
* substances that we create and then abuse,
* wars and conflict
* greed and injustice
* accidents

An evil and all-powerful God would delight in our suffering.  He would never want us to enjoy anything.  “Natural” disasters would become every day occurrences.  There would be no such thing as a “100 year flood” (a flood so significant that its like occurs only about once every 100 years).  The destruction would be almost constant from every type of calamity.  Floods, earthquakes, and huge storms would batter all of humanity.  There would be no such thing as a wood frame house that had stood in the same spot for decades.  We would be shelter-less, tortured, and helpless.  The beauty that we know would be non-existent.  An evil God would not want us to enjoy beauty… or peace… or life… or love.  An evil God would delight in constant world-wide plague and famine.  All safety, order, and predictability would be gone from what we call “nature” and from our lives if God were evil.

2Secondly, if there is an all-powerful God, He is infinitely creative

still watersAnyone who has the curiosity and opportunity to really observe and study (even informally) the hugely varied species and forms of living creatures and of plant life can find endless fascination learning about life on Earth.
chambered nautilus

Each creature’s anatomy, habitat, instincts, and life patterns can become a field of study in itself.

green plantEvery form of plant life, from cactus to kelp to trees and shrubs, to flowers, and even plants that we consider to be weeds… each variety of plant life has its own beauty and its own story of survival.

honeycombFrom the vastness of space to the intricacies of the smallest creature and the interwoven functions of each ecosystem, the way that everything works together to sustain life is amazingly complex and creative.

Considering mankind, everything from the tiny lines on the skin of our fingertips to the unique characteristics of our eyes, facial structure, and voice are being used for indentification purposes because we are all unique, one of a kind individuals… down to the DNA in each of our body’s cells.  If we are each created rather than just accidentally formed as part of the “circle of life”, then Someone is involved in every minute and miniscule detail, even in the infinitely small, beyond microscopic level.

3Thirdly, if there is an all-powerful God, He is patient far beyond human understanding.

Wow.  People do a lot of messing up.  All of us do.  Even those who are really trying not to mess up… still mess up.  If God is all powerful, He could choose to zap us when we hurt someone else or hurt ourselves or hurt His heart.  He could choose to enforce His will in whatever way He wished.  If He is being patient with us and choosing to let us live our lives as we wish, we often don’t appreciate that patience because of the consequences of our own mess-ups and those of other people.

We want Him to zap them and be patient with us.

We want to do our own thing, but we want the consequences of our actions to magically disappear.

It doesn’t seem to work that way, though.  If there is a God, it seems that all of us have likely tried His patience and broken His laws (perhaps, even his heart) and violated His will.  If it wouldn’t be right for Him to treat one person’s mess-ups differently than another person’s, that must mean that He is motivated to behave differently that we do.  Sometimes we excuse one person and are hard on someone else.  We don’t have the same standards for everyone, even though we’d like to think of ourselves as fair and patient.  If there is a God who is all powerful, He is so patient that He must know something we don’t know.  He’s not a random “zapper”, so He must be just.  If He is just, then He must have an eventual plan for justice; but we aren’t experiencing His enforcement of justice right now.  Instead, patience reigns, along with all of the chaos, pain, and havoc we create.  There must be a reason and a plan if there is an all-powerful God… a plan that allows Him to wait patiently for now.

4Fourthly, if there is an all-powerful God, He is a God of order. 

tree-at-sunriseSeeds grow according to their kind of plant.  Animals reproduce according to their species.  Nature has a balance.

snowflake real on blueSeasons come and go.  The world keeps spinning.  There are life cycles, days, moon phases, months, years, orbits, gestational periods, instincts, migrations, hibernation, and the pull of gravity.  There is cell structure, healing, birth, life, growth, aging, and death.  There are elements, compounds, and chemicals which somehow have all been formed to make what we know as air, water, and land… a habitable environment.  To believe that all of the order found in our world and all of observable space is accidental order, one must have tremendous faith in nothingness… or begin to wonder ???

5Fifthly, if there is an all-powerful God, He wants us to know Him.

If there really is a God, the incredible profusion of variety in life forms and in objects within the universe must reveal some things about their maker, just as a painting reveals something about the artist or a song reveals something about the composer.  The colors, shapes, function, and beauty around us must reveal something as well.  If there is a God who really sent His Son, He must want us to know Him through personal relationship.  If the Bible is truly His word, He must want us to know even more through revealing Himself in an autobiography.  If He has placed within us a conscience that reveals what is right and good, He must want us to know both His nature and His desire for how we might best live.  And, if it is true that He actually lives within those who accept Him as Lord and Savior and sends His Holy Spirit to them, His desire for us to know Him must be so fervent that He is willing to completely give Himself to us.

6Sixth, if there is an all-powerful God, He must know everything about us.

It just makes sense to me that an all-powerful God must also be all-knowing.  As we’ve seen in our world, the use of power without wisdom is a dangerous thing.  Since we’ve already thought through the fact that God must be good if He exists at all, He must have the wisdom that enables Him to be good in ways that relate to us, His creation.  There must be a plan in His mind and even some sort of intervention in our world and in our lives, of which we are apparently unaware.  In order to know what we need and what will be right for the future of mankind, He would have to know our hopes, our fears, our sorrows, our pain, our failures, and what will ultimately bring us joy.  We all have a desire for a happy ending, but our lives often do not follow the pattern we had hoped they would.  Sometimes, we see that previous disappointments wound up being good for us in some way.  Maybe, if there is an all-powerful, all-knowing God, everything is connected to His good plan for us in ways that we can’t see right now.  It would take an unfathomable amount of wisdom and knowledge to balance the needs of every single person and to work in their lives in unseen ways.  As a parent, I find this difficult to do with our six sons and one daughter.  I can’t imagine the power and knowledge it would take to try to bless and reach out to all of mankind.  And yet, if there is a God who is all-powerful and good, He must know us in order to do this, just as I must know my loved ones in order to relate to them in ways that matter.

7Finally, if there is an all-powerful God, He is a God of love.

All of us are constructed with such a hunger for love, the capacity to love, and the deep, inner knowledge that somewhere there must be a more pure and perfect love.  We value love more highly than anything else in life; and yet, we do not always treat those we love as we should.  Our priorities do not always reflect the importance of loving and giving.  We want that kind of love, and yet we find ourselves incapable of giving it as perfectly as we wish it to be given to us.  If there is a capacity for both giving and receiving love, together with a hunger for pure love beyond what we know, these desires and capabilities must have an origin.  It makes sense that if there is an all-powerful God who is also Creator and also a good God, then He would be the origin of everything good and of the best as well.  Love is the best.

In conclusion, I have to say that these are my thoughts, based upon what I have seen, felt, experienced, read, and learned.  These statements seem sensible to me.  If I were still looking for answers to the question of whether God exists, I think these observations would make me want to keep looking, with a hope that I might find that something (Someone) is there.

~  Cynthia A. Boyd

What do you think?

If there is truly a God, an all-powerful Supreme Being, what does everything you’ve observed and learned and experienced tell you about who He is?  What do you believe?  Are we a cosmic accident, on our own in the universe?  Or, is there a Creator who is powerful enough to form all that exists, for whatever purpose He desires.

Do your beliefs help you answer these three crucial questions?

1.  Who am I?  (Beyond defining yourself by relationships, abilities and traits, or by what you do)
2.  How did I get here?  (What chain of events resulted in my existence?)
3.  What is my purpose?  (Are you just here to live, work, play, relate, suffer, grow old, and die?)

We would love to hear from you and will publish any respectfully written comment that represents a point of view, even from those who have concluded that there is no God.

 * ? * ? * ? * ? * ? * ? * ? * 

 Are you curious?

Would you like to know
what the Bible does say
about each of the 7 observations cited above?

1*  Observation #1:  If there is an all-powerful God, then He is good.

What the Bible says about God’s goodness:

Nahum 1:7  ~  The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows them that trust in Him.

Psalms 145:9  ~  The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.

Psalm 100:5  ~  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalms 107:8  ~  Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalms 86:5  ~  For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon You.

Psalms 34:8  ~  O, taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him.

Psalms 136:1  ~  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

2*  Observation #2:  If there is an all-powerful God, then He is infinitely creative.

What the Bible says about the creation / creativity of God:

Isaiah 40:28 ~  Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or become tired and weary?  His understanding is unsearchable.

Psalms 19:1  ~  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalms 104:24  ~  O LORD, how manifold are Your works!  In wisdom, You have made them all: the earth is full of Your riches.

Psalms 8:3 – 4  ~  When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4 What is man, that You art mindful of him? And the son of man, that You abide with him?

Psalms 139:13-16  ~  For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.

Psalm 104:10-14  ~  He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of His work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth. (NIV)

Psalm 104: 24-25  ~  How many are your works, O Lord!  In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.  There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both large and small.  (NIV)

Job 12:7-10  ~  Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you.  Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?  In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” (NIV)

Revelation 4:11  ~  You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for You have created all things, and for Your pleasure they are and were created.” (KJV)

3*  Observation #3:  If there is an all powerful God, He is patient far beyond our understanding.

What the Bible says about God’s patience (sometimes translated as “long-suffering”):

Psalm 86:15  ~  But you, Lord, are a compassionate God, merciful and patient, with unending gracious love and faithfulness.

Romans 15:5  ~  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus:

2nd Peter 3:15  ~  And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him–

2nd Peter 3:9  ~  The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some people understand slowness, but He is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to perish, but wants everyone to repent.

Romans 2:3 – 4  ~  Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself— that you will escape the judgment of God?  Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

4*  Observation #4:  If there is an all-powerful God, He is a God of order.

What the Bible says about the Divine nature of God and His attribute of desiring and creating order and orderliness:

1st Corinthians 14:33  ~  For God is not a God of disorder but of peace – as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

Colossians 1:16 – 17  ~   16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Romans 1:20  ~  For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse.

From Genesis, Chapter 1:

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Psalm 147:4 – 5  ~  He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure.

5*  Observation #5:  If there is an all-powerful God, He wants us to know Him.

What the Bible says about God’s desire for us to know Him and seek Him:

John 17:3  ~  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Jeremiah 9:23-24  ~  Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; {24} But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

Acts 17:27  ~  So that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

Psalm 46:10  ~  Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth!”

Jeremiah 29:11 – 13  ~  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.

Hebrews 11:6  ~  But without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that comes to God must believe that He is (exists), and that He rewards those that diligently seek Him.

Psalms 70:4  ~  Let all those that seek You rejoice and be glad in You: and let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified.”

Verses about the how God has revealed Himself to mankind (and why):
Note:  In addition to the revelation of who God is found in Creation, God has used the means found in the three scripture passages below to reveal Himself to mankind because of His desire for us to know Him.  (He’s also used many other forms of direct revelation such as a burning bush, literal handwriting on the wall, and messages from angels.)

Verse dealing specifically with conscience and God’s law as a means used by God to reveal Himself and His truth to men:
From Romans, Chapter 2 ~
* Notes in parentheses and underlined have been added by the author of this post to explain the meaning of this scripture passage.
14 
Indeed, when some people, who do not have the law (do not have Biblical law given by God as a part of their accepted beliefs), do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law (They demonstrate their acceptance of God’s laws as being “what is right”, even without necessarily having specific knowledge that these laws came from God.). 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)

Verse dealing specifically with the prophets and Jesus Christ as another means God used to reveal who He is to mankind:
Hebrews 1:1 – 2  ~  In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe (Hebrews 1:1,2).

Verse dealing with the reason God has revealed Himself and His truth in the Bible:
Romans 15:4  ~  For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope.

6*  Observation #6:  If there is an all-powerful God, He must know everything about us.

What the Bible says about God’s knowledge concerning mankind and each individual:

Matthew 10:29 – 31 (Jesus speaking)  ~  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. (without His knowledge)  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Isaiah 44:24  ~  Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb:  “I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,

Isaiah 49:15-16  (God speaking)  ~  “Can a mother forget her nursing child?  Can she feel no love for a  child she has borne?  Even if that were possible, I would never forget you!  See, I have engraved your name on the palms of my hands.”

Psalm 139:1 – 3  ~  O LORD, You have searched me and known me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord.

Job 34:21  ~  For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, And He sees all his steps.

Psalms 33:13-15  ~  The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; From His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth; He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.

Jeremiah 16:17  ~  For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes.

2 Kings 19:27  ~  But I know your sitting down, and your going out and your coming in, and your raging against Me.

1 Corinthians 4:5  ~  Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

7*  Observation #7:  If there is an all-powerful God, He is a God of love.

What the Bible says about God’s love (and about love as an attribute of who God is):

Psalm 89:1 – 2  ~  I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations.  I will declare that Your love stands firm forever, that You have established Your faithfulness in heaven itself.

Zephaniah 3:17  ~  The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.

1 John 4:7-8  ~  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Peter 5:6-7  ~  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Jeremiah 31:3  ~  The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

John 3:16 – 17  ~   For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.

Romans 5:8  ~  But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Galatians 2:20  ~  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Ephesians 2:4-5  ~  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses (sins), made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved.

1 John 4:9-11  ~  In this the love of God was made manifest (clearly shown) among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.  This is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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shepherds seeking“Come and See” is a poem that I wrote during the 2013 Christmas season as my heart was touched once more by God’s gift of love and Christ’s humble and miraculous birth.  It was originally posted on January 1st, 2014, along with a devotion I had prepared about the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth.

(See a link to the original blog post, also called, “Come and See,” in which the poem was first published at the end of this article.)

Below, you will find the poem by the same title, prepared as a Reader’s Theatre script for 2 readers.

Come and See
A Reader’s Theatre Script for 2 readers

based upon the poem written by
Cynthia Boyd

Reader 1:

Come, lowly shepherds! Now, arise!
Heavenly angels fill the starlit skies,
For in Bethlehem, the promised Child is born.
Come, and see God’s only begotten Son.

Reader 2:

And He will care for His flock like a shepherd,
He will give His life for the sheep.
His tender mercies will comfort the fallen,
And He will bind the wounds of the weak.

Jesus shepherd stained glass tallReader 1:

Come, wise men searching for a King.
Follow the star; your treasures bring.

Reader 2:

For in Bethlehem the King of Kings is born
Come, and see this blessed, Holy One.

Reader 1:

And He will rise, triumphant and Holy.
He will reign in the Heavens above.
He will fill the hearts of His people
And conquer hatred with His pure love.

Reader 2:

Come, pilgrim seeking Heaven’s joy.
Behold “God with us” in this boy.
For the Prince of Peace has come to grace this Earth.
Come, and see Salvation’s humble birth.

Reader 2:

And He will calm the storm of temptation
He will heal the sickness of sin.
He will break the chains of the pris’ner
And give new life to us within.

Reader 1:

Come, wand’rer chasing empty lies.
Behold the Truth! Lift up your eyes!

Reader 2:

For the Light of the World is here to set you free.
Come, and see the Lamb of Calvary.

Reader 1:

And He will shine as Star of the Morning.
He will take your hand in the night.
He will slay the dragon of darkness
And fill the shadows with His light.

Reader 2:

Come, seeker looking for the Way.
Let Christ be born in you today.
For the Lord of All has come to take your place.
Come, and see your Redeemer’s face.

Reader 1:

And He will guard your heart and your tomorrows.
He will wash away every stain.

Reader 2:

He will redeem each one of your sorrows.
And bring you joy even through pain.

Reader 1:

For He is Lord, Messiah, and Savior.

Reader 2:

He is Emmanuel, King of Kings.

Reader 1:

He is the Alpha and the Omega.

Reader 2:

He is the one of whom angels sing.

Both:

Come, and see.

~  Original poem by Cynthia A. Boyd
Copyright December 2013

Original Post Link

The original blog post in which the poem, “Come and See” was published also features a brief Bible Study / devotional from Luke, Chapter 2.  It deals with the shepherds and the four actions or reactions they displayed on the night of Jesus’ birth.

Here’s the post link:

Come and See

Permission Requests Info: 

LIVE  PERFORMANCE:
This Reader’s Theater Script may be copied for use during a worship service or Christmas program without obtaining specific permission (make enough copies for your readers and directors).  We’d love to hear how you used it if you’d like to share later on, but that’s not a requirement.

Note:  If a video of your presentation including “Come and See” is posted anywhere online, please add a link to this post (as the source for the poem) in your video information.  this will enable others to find the poem as well.

PRINT  PUBLICATION  OR  WEBSITE  PUBLICATION:
“Come and See” may not be published in any print form or on any website without the author’s permission.  Please comment on this post to request permission.  Comments must be approved, so no other reader’s will see your request.  We will see your request as a comment awaiting approval and be able to reply to you privately.

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Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this post. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

Happy Birthday banner colorful

Birthdays are for celebrating!

Here are our top ten reasons for celebrating a birthday:

10

Beginning the next year of possibility and promise with a party!

9

Another year of being here!
* 365 sunrises and sunsets *

8

We love surprises, especially when they are presented in colorful wrappings.

7

Birthdays are a good time to remember the blessings of the past year
and of life in general.

6

Being with friends and family is the best gift of all.

5

Making an effort to have special times is part of the joy of life!

4

Celebrating a birthday communicates a message of thankfulness

for life

and joy

and hope

and time invested in each other.

3

CAKE!
Something yummy for your tummy!

2

The rituals and celebrations of life are like treasures for the heart.

1

And…. the number one reason we celebrate birthdays is…

Uniqueness

We recognize the infinite value of each unique person
and what they bring into the world

    and into our hearts

Hearts  red with white border

And that is something to celebrate!

Dr Seuss Motivational Quotes Youer than you

Fearfully and wonderfully made scripture

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Happy Birthday with number 3 candle  Our Worship Sounds Music blog is celebrating a birthday today! 

  We’ve been here for 3 years now, and in that time we have learned so much.

  We’ve published 106 posts and 17 pages.

  We’ve shared our hearts and God’s love.

  We’ve heard from you as you have shared your thoughts or a word of encouragement.

  We’ve been blessed to have blog visitors from 183 countries.

  You have re-shared our posts and helped them reach more people than we ever could have on our own.

  Our posts have also been shared on ChurchMag, The Worship Community, Cued In, and Worship Links, plus several other websites and blogs.

  We have found expression for our faith and our love for the Lord.

  And finally, unbelievably, we’ve had very close to 100,000 page and post views in only 3 years.  Right now, the number stands at 99,000 +, and we don’t know when we’ll reach that milestone.  The wonderful truth is that it really doesn’t matter whether that happens today or a few days from now.  The important thing is that our purpose remains the same.   We are here to bring glory to God and to encourage and inspire the body of Christ.  We will continue to do our best to share inspiration, encouragement, hope, faith, and worship with anyone who is seeking the Lord.  We are very aware that all of the numbers only have meaning because they represent the opportunity to minister to people like you.  We pray for you, and we are thankful for your prayers as well.

We are so thankful to God and to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for His love and His life in us.  He is our Sustainer and the Joy of our hearts.  We thank Him for this ministry and for everything that He has done with it, far beyond anything that we could have thought or asked.

We are also thankful for YOU and for your life and ministry.  Thank you so much for spending some of your valuable time with us and for sharing our posts and pages with others.  God Bless YOU!

Blessed by amazing grace of God

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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30 Thankful Verses

It’s time to re-post our 30 Thankful Verses as a devotional resource for November. Have a wonderful month of thanksgiving!

Worship Sounds Music

Thankful hearts, rejoice!

Here are thirty verses about giving thanks to God.  There is one verse for each day of the month, with some brief devotional thoughts to inspire you.

1  DAY  ONE

  “The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord.   Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:  “He is good; His love endures forever.”   Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud.”    II Chronicles 5:13

Jesus prayed that we (God’s people) would be one.  When we come together as one to praise and thank Him, God’s presence is made known to us as he inhabits (literally, dwells within) the praise of His people.  Today, let us thank God, as the trumpeters and singers did, for His great love that endures forever.

2  DAY  TWO

 …

View original post 2,892 more words

Ps. 145 I will praiseEvery day I will praise You, Lord.

David, the Psalmist, makes this commitment in Psalm 145… daily praise, and even forever praise.  (verse 2)

Even though David was well aware that some days are tougher than steel and colder than ice.  Even though he knew that pain is real and piercing and that loss is inevitable and wrenching, and that there are moments when it’s all you can do just to breathe, David chose to say, “Yes!” to praise.

WHY?
Why choose to praise when there are days that we want to shout, with every fiber of our being, “No!  Oh, please, no… Lord, no.” ???

Read on, and look for David’s reasons (and for your reasons, too) in Psalm 145.  Then, let us think about this together.

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

Ps. 145 Great is the Lord3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Ps. 145 the Lord is gracious8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.[c]
Ps. 145 14 Lord upholds and lifts up14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

So, what are the reasons that David gives for his daily praise?

1.  The Lord is great.
He is great… far beyond our understanding.   (So, when we don’t understand… He is still great.)

“His greatness no one can fathom.” (3b)

Praise the Lord script2.  The Lord is worthy of praise.
A fact is a fact… no matter how we are feeling.  He is worthy.  Period.

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise” (3a)

3.  The Lord has done incredible, mighty, awesome, wonderful things.
His creation and His recreation of our hearts and lives give us a glimpse, but we cannot begin to fathom all that the Lord has done.

4 One generation commends Your works to another;
they tell of Your mighty acts.

…and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.[ 5 b ]

6 They tell of the power of Your awesome works
and I will proclaim Your great deeds.

4.  The Lord is majestic in His splendor.
We cannot even imagine the majesty of the Lord.

Take all of the most beautiful, awesome, and wondrous things and places you have ever seen…
take the vastness of space…
take the intricate and amazing work in a creature as tiny as an ant…
take the most majestic, sparkling, costly royal splendor that mankind has ever been able to produce (with the minds that He created)…

All of that, together, is a part of His creative and majestic creation (which is also a revelation of who He is).

But all of it together,
from the microscopic to the humongous beyond belief,
and from the wonder of all living things to the beauty of every kind of ecosystem…

reveals only a fraction of His majesty.

5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty
and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.

5.  The Lord is powerful.
If His works are powerful, how much moreso is He!  He made them.  They are just His creation, but He is the source of their power.

6 They tell of the power of Your awesome works—

6.  The Lord is abundantly good.
Everything good comes from His hand.  He made everything and pronouced it “good” because His original Creation, before mankind brought sin, reflected the goodness of its Creator.  He is good in every way that it is possible to be good.  His goodness is cause for celebration!  His is not a false goodness.  It is not pretense.  It is righteous goodness.  He does not show preference.  He is good to ALL.

7 They celebrate Your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

9 The Lord is good to all;
 He has compassion on all He has made.

7.  The Lord is righteous.
     He is not merely good… He is holy and righteous.  He will ultimately make everything right.  His goodness goes beyond what we know as goodness, because it is righteous.  It is totally pure… in love… in motivation.  There is no darkness in Him at all.  His righteousness produces joy. 

7b and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways
and faithful in all he does.

Ps 145  character of God v 8 and 9

8.  The character of the Lord is tender toward us.

    a.  He is gracious
Full of grace, flowing continually out of His abundantly gracious character (who He is), God gives His grace without expecting us to earn or deserve it.  He gives His grace because He is gracious.

     b.  He is compassionate.
His compassion goes far beyond just caring about us.  His compassion motivated Him to give Himself completely in the person of Christ.  Compassion is caring that is deep enough to motivate a profound expression of love.

     c.  He is slow to anger.
The Lord is patient with us… much moreso than we are with one another, and even with our own loved ones.  Although He is deeply grieved by our every hurt and loss (compassionate), He remains patient with mankind, desiring to give us continued opportunity to turn to Him for salvation.

    d.  He is rich in love.
The love of the Lord is vast and immeasureable.  If the earth is His footstool and everything belongs to Him as Creator, He is certainly rich… but it is the limitless stores of his wealth of love that He longs for us to know.

How far would His love go?
From Heaven… to earth… to the cross… to death… and even to hell,
all to gain the victory for us over sin, hell, and death.

His love took our most hideous weakness and ugliness and enveloped it in the strength and everlasting power of His pure holiness, removing the stinking graveclothes of our sin and clothing us with His own righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all;
 He has compassion on all He has made.

9.  His Kingdom is glorious and everlasting.
In order to have a Kingdom, one must be a King.  But His is not just any Kingdom, and He is not just any King.  He is the King of Kings, and His Kingdom is everlasting.  He can never be de-throned because He is the Lord of all, even of those who do not acknowledge Him.

10 All your works praise You, Lord;
  Your faithful people extol You.
11 They tell of the glory of Your kingdom
and speak of Your might,
12 so that all people may know of Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and Your dominion endures through all generations.

10.  The Lord is trustworthy and faithful.
        He is good, so we can trust Him.  He is a keeper of promises.  He does not give up or quit.  He is faithful to keep His word, to remain unchanging, to finish all of the good works that He has begun, and to someday make everything right.

The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises
and faithful in all He does.[ 13 c ] 

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways
and faithful in all He does.

11. The Lord is our Sustainer and the Giver of all good things.
Without the sustaining presence of the Lord in all of Creation, the needs of every living thing would not be met.

15 The eyes of all look to You,
and You give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

12.  The Lord is our helper and our Savior.
He helps us get up when we fall and even holds us as we are falling.  He lifts up those who are bowed beneath a heavy load and brings joy to hearts that have been humbled or broken.  He is near.  He is with us.  He hears us when we call on Him in truth.  He fulfills our desires.  He hears our cries.  He saves us.  He watches over us.  He will someday remove us from the very presence of evil.  He is our loving and caring Shepherd.

14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.

18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call on Him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;
  He hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love Him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.

  Ps. 145 19 He will hear and saveThe Lord is close by, waiting for us to understand that we need Him and come into agreement with the truth about who He is and who we are. Then, when we see our need for Him and cry out, He knows that knowing Him, having His forgiveness, and living in fellowship with Him have become Him the desires of our heart. He hears our cry, and He saves us (when we have asked Him to come into our lives as Savior and Lord).

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David’s conclustion, in light of who God is,
is that he must commit himself to daily and eternal praise.

David begins the Psalm with this commitment and ends the Psalm with a restatement of his personal commitment to daily and eternal praise.

This is the final verse of Psalm 145:

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

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The notes on Bible Gateway about Psalm 145 tell us this interesting bit of information.  This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which (including verse 13b) begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.” 

This fact tells me that David was also communicating the fact that the Lord is the Alpha and Omega, worthy of praise from the beginning of time and throughout eternity, meeting all of our needs and sharing His love with all of mankind, keeping His promises and fulfilling His Kingdom with both awesome power and gracious, loving tenderness.


May every day become a day of praise.

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This post was written by Cynthia Boyd, with the inspiration of Psalm 145.
The NIV Scripture text was copied from Bible Gateway

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+145

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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The Victor’s Crown

OliveOlive is a spiritual encourager who sees through ‘Jesus eyes’.  She knows the deep things of the soul and recognizes the work of God in the lives of others.  When she invests the time in you to share a message of encouragement, it means something; because Olive sees and feels and loves beyond the surface… to the deepest longings of the redeemed heart.  She knows that we all want to make a difference, to matter, and to exchange the totality of all that we have been given in this temporal life for something of eternal significance… in the the lives and hearts of others, in the very heart of God, and for His Kingdom.

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“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing.”

I Thessalonians 5:11

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When Olive is sharing a message of encouragement, she looks into your face and your eyes.  The topic might be something she has seen or the Lord has revealed to her concerning your parenting, ministry, or life.  Even so, the message that I’ve received from her every time is the same.  She is telling you, “I see… and He sees… Jesus in you.  I want you to know… and He wants you to know… that what you do in Him matters… that it makes a difference for the Kingdom… that God is using what you are giving back to Him to do more than you know or could imagine.  I want you to know… and He wants you to know… that there is eternity in these moments… eternity in surrender and obedience… eternity in every little sacrifice… eternity in His Spirit leaking out through you.”

* ❤ * ❤ * ❤ *

“When he (Barnabas) arrived and saw what the grace of God had done,
he was glad
and encouraged them (Christians at Antioch) all
to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.”
Acts 11:23

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As Olive is encouraging, she also sees how you receive the message in the very depths of your heart.  Her Jesus eyes have looked beyond my blurry eyed ‘thank yous’ to the vulnerability and doubt inside.  She knows, without my ever saying so, that I never think it is enough or that I am enough.  She knows that I am hard on myself, because my eyes somehow give me away.  She continues encouraging, seeking to get the message across through the fog created by the fear of being less… the fear of insignificance…. to the very core of my being.  Olive pours the oil of encouragement over and into all the fractures of imperfection that I fear will be my legacy, and somehow God’s Spirit anoints the beautiful brokenness… the weakness that can only be perfected in His strength… with the message He is giving through Olive:  “I see… He sees… and it all matters.”

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“You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
You encourage them, and You listen to their cry.”

Psalm 10:17

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Last night, the Lord used Olive to encourage me once again, but this time I want to share it…

because this message is for you, too!

“He sees… and it all matters!”

FBCD worship center crossYou see, during last Sunday’s worship service at our church, our worship ministry team shared the message of the song, “Victor’s Crown” (written by Darlene Zschech, Israel Houghton, and Kari Jobe).  This was far more than just singing a song during church.  Our Adult Choir, Orchestra, Praise Team, Rhythm Section, and Tech Team all worked together to share the message that Jesus has overcome the world through the testimony of the song, with His glory as the cry of our hearts.  In addition, there was a visual representation of this message of Christ’s majesty, supremacy, sovereignty, and glory.  Our student dance team, young ladies who are learning to use dance, movement, and sign language in worship and praise for God’s glory, had prepared to share the message through meaningful choreographed movement.  Finally, at the end of the song, an oversized crown representing the majesty and glory of the King of Kings was carried to the front of the Worship Center and placed upon a pedestal as the words, “You wear the Victor’s crown… Jesus, you have overcome the world!” were being sung.  The media on our screens had also been designed to convey the message of the song, and countless hours had been invested by everyone who had been involved in the rehearsal and preparation (not only for this message but for all of the worship service as a whole, that Sunday… and every Sunday).  Our shared motivation was and is to glorify the Lord and to encourage God’s people as He speaks to each heart through the messages that are spoken, sung, danced, projected, and displayed in every manner possible.

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Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory
and the majesty and the splendor,

for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.”
I Chronicles 29:11

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During the preparation for sharing the song, “Victor’s Crown”, I had the privilege of making something special… the oversized crown representing the glory and sovereignty of our  King of Kings, Jesus.  It was a joy for me to take some hours from each day over a couple of weeks and use that time to make His “Victor’s Crown”.  I am not an artist or a seamstress, but I had made a Presentation Crown once before, at our former church.  It’s a major project that also involves a lot of thought and prayer.  Everything about the crown had meaning for me, like the red jewels representing the blood of Christ, visible from every angle and from the top of the crown to the bottom.

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“To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Jude 1:25

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When I made a Presentation Crown several years ago, there was a longer period of time to complete the project, so I was able to put the supplies away after every work session.  No one had seen the crown in progress at that church.  This time, however, there was more time pressure.  It was necessary to keep my project table set up and do some of the work when others were around, once even singing during part of a choir rehearsal as I worked.  Olive was one of the people who had observed the process.

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“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God.”

I Corinthians 10:31

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So, what Olive came to tell me before choir rehearsal (on the Wednesday night after “Victor’s Crown” was shared during worship) was that it all mattered.  She shared the fact that she had spoken to others who had been profoundly moved as God’s Spirit spoke to their hearts through the message that they heard and witnessed and deeply felt.  This time, however, Olive was determined to impress upon me that, “all of those hours and days and weeks (spent making the crown)… for a five minute song,” had made a Kingdom difference to her and to others, repeating those words about the time frame more than once.  The fact that she recognized the investment of time in creating as compared to the brevity of the time for that investment to have made an impact seemed to concern Olive; because she wanted me to know again… “I see… He sees… and it all matters.”

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“But we do see Jesus,
who was made lower than the angels for a little while,

now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death,
so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”
Hebrews 2:9

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I thanked Olive and assured her that the amount of time invested in making the crown for the brief presentation didn’t bother me at all, because I’m used to that.  Although the crown was seen for only a few measures of music near the end of “Victor’s Crown”, and then throughout the hymn that followed {“Crown Him (Lord of All)”), I know how God can use words, music, media, and any other kind of expression to touch hearts, often in just a moment.  So many times, my own heart has been touched, my faith strenghthened, my hope restored, and my soul inspired by what has been shared by others and by our worship ministry team.  I know that God can purify and amplify our imperfect efforts with His own righteousness.  I remember many really incredible spiritual moments from years and even decades ago.  The eternal significance of anything we do is only a result of His sanctifying presence working through us.  He is the One who makes it matter.

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“All this is for your benefit,
so that the grace that is reaching more and more people
may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”

II Corinthians 4:15

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Even as Olive was speaking to me, I couldn’t help thinking that as choir practice began in a few moments, time would be given by everyone present (including Olive) which would be longer than the time spent eventually sharing the music we would be learning.  In worship ministry, it’s all about preparation and time invested in order to bring glory to God… and how He is transforming our lives from the inside out through that process.  All of the worship team members invest lots of time into every brief worship service, but none of us count that time as lost.  It also occured to me that this is how my husband (and all Worship Ministers) spends his work time… in preparation and helping others to prepare.  Investing countless hours into preparation for one worship service is nothing new when it is your calling, ministry, and life’s work.

And you, in the service you are doing in Christ’s name and in seeking to live your life for His glory… are also investing time in ways that don’t always allow you to see an immediate result.  This kind of investment in lives and in service is so much more than a time clock of minutes served.  It’s all about our relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the foundational love and mercy of our God, which give us the purpose and the motivation for every minute… every hour… every lifetime.

* ❤ * ❤ * ❤ *

“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one
who speaks the very words of God.

If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides,
so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
I Peter 4:11

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So, for worship ministry team members… and for every Christian…

for every parent, every neighbor and friend,

everyone who is striving

to make an eternal difference in this life,

the work of the Kingdom is all about the investment

of minutes and hours,

days, weeks, and months,

years and decades,

and lifetimes…

 in prayer, preparation, relationships, and work,

investing in people, in serving the Lord,

in surrender and in obedience,

and using all that we have been given

through the mercies and love of God in Christ

with the help of His Holy Spirit

to bring Him glory.

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“For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work
and the love which you showed for His sake in serving the saints,
as you still do.”  
~Hebrews 6:10

* ❤ * ❤ * ❤ *

What a blessing it is to be part of God’s Kingdom ministry in this life…

for all the moments, big and small, during which God is at work in the lives of His people…

 moments of service and help,

       moments of love demonstrated,

                 moments of grace manifested,

                          moments of holy reverence,

                                  moments of joyful praise,

                                           moments of hope realized,

                                                      moments of profound meaning,

                                                              moments of mercy,

                                                                      moments of sweet fellowship,

                                                                              and of encouragement given…

                                                                                       and received.

And, when blessings are hard to see, in the moments when the answers to prayer have not come as we had wanted, when obedience simply means waiting on the Lord and seeking Him with a broken heart… when God is still at work in ways that we have not yet been able to understand, we are blessed by His sustaining love and presence.  Still, every moment matters.  Not a single moment of grief will be wasted.  He will redeem it all… every teardrop.

So, whether you are spending you time wiping little noses, reading Bible stories, and keeping up with school for your children, working in or outside of your home, helping others through volunteering, or doing all of those things…

  He sees your heart and your work for others. 

No matter how you serve through your church, whether you are teaching, singing, or greeting visitors…

  He sees how you love His bride, the church. 

When you are studying in Seminary to prepare for a life calling or caring for a loved one who is ill,

  He sees your ministry. 

When a large part of your energy goes to the temporal, mundane tasks that never stay done
or you wonder if your efforts, both large and small, are in vain,

  He sees your faithfulness. 

When you struggle with the pain and grief of this life and cry out to Him in the rawness of your need,

He sees your stubborn faith and your hope in Him. 

When you mess up… and you know it.

He sees your brokenness and answers with His mercy. 

Whatever your age or station in life…

when you are living to bring glory to the Lord, working and loving and serving as to the Lord,

He sees you, and it all matters! 

In this life, we are simply giving back what we have been given,  Because Christ sacrificed and gave His all, investing His life in us, we can now invest our lives in His Kingdom.  It’s so amazing that God allows us to particpate in His work and ministry, with the help of His Holy Spirit, in ways that will have meaning even in eternity, always for His glory.

* ❤ * ❤ * ❤ *

And, beyond all that…

you and I can look forward to

eternity in the presence of God

at the feet of Jesus.

In the company of the saints, we will be

free from sin and sorrow;

free from pain and death;

and living in a place beyond anything we could ever imagine.

There, we will fully know even as we are known,

and we will experience in full measure

the vast, immeasureable, eternal,

pure, holy, and victorious

love of God

* ❤ * ❤ * ❤

Know this, child of God:

In every moment of time,

for now, and for eternity…

He does see.

And, yes, it all matters.

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* ❤ * ❤ * ❤ *

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory
and the exact representation of His being,

sustaining all things by His powerful word.
After He had provided purification for sins,
He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Hebrews 1:3

* ❤ * ❤ * ❤ *

VICTORS CROWN (official video)
Written by: Darlene Zschech, Israel Houghton, Kari Jobe

* ❤ * ❤ * ❤ *

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

* ❤ * ❤ * ❤ *

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  ❤ Thank you, Olive, for being an encourager, for your love for the Lord, ❤
and for your desire to worship and serve Him.

You’ve helped me to think of God’s work in our lives in new ways.

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DO YOU KNOW JESUS?
The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make! The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation. Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.
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Worship is God's invitation to transformation.

Worship is God’s invitation to transformation.

This Reader’s Theater script about worship can be utilized during a worship service for the purpose of sharing these truths about what worship is and is not with God’s people, helping them to more fully understand the depth of meaning, relationship, and surrender found in true worship.  The Readers can be students or adults.  They need to be well-prepared through rehearsal so that the sharing of these truths can be meaningful and thought-provoking.

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What is Worship?

A Reader’s Theater Script
designed for 3 readers

written by
Travis L. Boyd

Worship Pastor–We hear a lot about worship these days, but what is worship?

Speaker #1 – Worship is believing that God is.

Speaker #2—Worship is recognizing God’s greatness.

Speaker #3—Worship is seeking to know God on a deeper level.

Speaker #1 – Worship is surrendering to the will of God completely.

Speaker #2—Worship is living for God’s glory, not my own.

Speaker #3—Worship is experiencing God’s presence personally.

Speaker #1—Worship is not a great old hymn.

Speaker #2—Worship is not a wonderful new song.

Speaker #3—Worship is not a sermon.

Speaker #1—Worship is our response to God.

Speaker #2—We may worship with a great old hymn.

Speaker #3—We may worship with a wonderful new song.

Speaker #1—We may worship as God’s word is preached.

Speaker #2—The important thing is that we do worship.

Speaker #3—We must focus this hour on God and not ourselves.

Speaker #1—Not on what we want to sing.

Speaker #2—Not on what we want to hear.

Speaker #3—Not on what we want to feel.

All Speakers— Worship is our response to God.

 

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PERMISSION FOR USAGE

The above Reader’s Theater Script may be utilized free of charge
for verbal presentation during Worship Services, Small group meetings,
Sunday School classes, Youth Group meetings, and Bible Studies
with no further permission required.

However, this piece may not be published in any form
(magazine, newsletter, etc.) without permission.

Please comment to request permission for publication.
Your comment will not be seen by others
since comments must be approved in order to appear on our blog.
It will, however, enable us to communicate with you about securing permission.

Thank you for your consideration.

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NOTE:  For additional descriptions and definitions of worship, see our post, Worship: Definitions and Quotations .

Additional posts on the subject of worship:

Worship…it’s all about Giving!

Worship Planning and Preparation

Or, to see all of our posts on the subject of worship, visit our “Worship… with Wonder” category:  https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/category/worship-with-wonder/

 

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Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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At Worship Sounds Music, there are always new songs in progress.

See the links in our sidebar to publishers and music distributors which offer Travis L. Boyd’s music.

Click this image to go to the Adult  Choir tab on the General Usage Anthems page of our Worship Sounds Music website.

Click this image to go to our Worship Sounds Music website.

Look for:

*  New Choral Anthems
Additional voicings of Anthems
New Anthem Orchestrations (which also work for our Medium Voice Solos)
New Solo Music (or additional keys for our Solos)
New Accompaniment Tracks for our Anthems and Solos

NOTE:  We also plan to add free downloads of Reader’s Theater Scripts to our blog (in PDF format, ready to print) in the near future.

Here’s our YouTube playlist of Video Demos for our
Mixed Choir Choral Anthems. 

*  Video demos of new Anthems are added to this playlist when they are prepared for an Anthem or voicing that is new.
*  The playlist includes Anthems in SATB, SSATB, SAB, and 2-part voicings.
*  All of our Choral Anthems are in the process of being added to Sheet Music Plus. We’ll let you know when they become available there.

TO VIEW THE PLAYLIST TITLES, CLICK THE ICON BESIDE THE WORD “PLAYLIST” IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER OF THE BLACK VIDEO FRAME. THEN, USE THE GRAY TAB ON THE FAR RIGHT OF THE LIST AT TOP TO PULL DOWN AND SCROLL THROUGH TITLES.

YOU CAN ALSO VIEW THE PLAYLIST ON YOUTUBE BY CLICKING ON THE PLAYLIST NAME IN THE TOP OF THE BLACK VIDEO FRAME.

Thank you for taking the time to view and hear our Choral video demos.

Blessings to you in your life and ministry
as you seek to bring glory to God
through music.

Loving Mercy…

Children are often competitive in almost everything, and sometimes they love to “report” things their siblings have done.  For example, at a family meal, when everyone is glad to be together and thankful for God’s provision, we pause to give thanks; but as soon as “Amen” has been spoken, the “prayer police” can make their presence known.

“He had his eyes open the whole time!’, one will announce.

Another “official officer of offense” makes his case by adding, “Well, he didn’t even bow his head!”

prayer  call on HimIn our home, we had to ban the “prayer police” from making their reports.  We are trying to make our home a place where we are all on the team and have each other’s best interests at heart… even when we disagree.

As our boys grow in their faith and in maturity, our prayer for them is that they learn to focus on what is truly important.
The importance of a prayer posture of any kind is far less meaningful and significant than having a thankful heart.  Certainly, the focus and condition of our hearts matter most to God.  Any external posture or demonstration of reverence or piety is meaningless to Him without our true devotion and genuine gratitude.

While we can see the truth about what is really important easily when dealing with our children’s spiritual understanding, what about our own?

Are there areas of life, worship, and Christian growth

where we, who know the Lord,

who have been redeemed and given new life,

often focus on form and function

and on the symptoms of sin sickness and spiritual death

rather than on the heart attitudes

and awakened hearts and lives

and true love for the Lord

that are most important?

The answer is… YES! 

We, too, deal with a tendency to become…

the prayer police,
the sin spotters,
the style seekers,
the soapbox spouters,
the commitment captains,
and the pet peeve pronoucers.

Often, our tendency is to notice the behavior rather than the heart need of others.
This focus on style rather than the substance or on the external behavior rather than the motives of the heart can be revealed by what I’ll call “Hollywood Action Movie Syndrome”.  In the extreme scenarios often found in the plot lines of movies like superhero flicks, the bad guys are depicted as heartless machines whose sole purpose seems to be mayhem and pain.  Movie goers are relieved and even happy to see these bad guys “get what’s coming to them” as the hero stops the madness by destroying the bad guy.

Even in our own lives, we can be quick to label others as irredeemable “bad guys” with statements that get a lot of “likes” on social media.  For example, I’ve seen posts made by sweet Christian people saying that they are “sick” of the behavior of a celebrity or politician who seems to be seeking attention by being self-destructive or by choosing to do things that many people would consider shocking.  In other words,
our first reaction is often disgust and even extreme dislike rather than broken hearts over the spiritual need that is being manifested as bad behavior.

The Biblical perspective…

Perhaps we need to consider God’s attitude toward us… and toward our bad behavior, as revealed through scripture.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved.”  ~ Ephesians 2:4 &5

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”  ~ Psalm 145:8

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”   ~  Psalm 100:5
(note:  in some translations, lovingkindness is everlasting and faithfulness endures)

“For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy to all them that call on you.”  ~ Psalms 86:5

“The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.”  ~ Psalms 145:9 

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”  ~ Titus 3:5

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  ~ 1 Peter 1:3

What, then, should be our response to people and situations that we feel are less than they should be? 

“Be you therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”  ~ Luke 6:36

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

~  Micah 6:8 NKJV

The Creator God of the universe,

who is holy and good and yet who is so often talked about with disrepect, as people whom He loves and was intimately involved in creating blatantly choose to go against their God-given conscience and intentionally do what is wrong,

LOVES ❤

MERCY.

He loves showing mercy to me and you; and He wants us to love mercy, too.

He loves justice and goodness and holiness, but He loves mercy even more…because of His great love for all of the people that He has created in His image.

For a while, He is delaying His judgement and the fully realized reign of His holiness over creation…. because He loves mercy.  He is no less holy and no less just even as He is allowing the free will of man to sometimes cause pain.  He is always holy, always just, and yet, always merciful.

God wants to show mercy to us, whom He loves.  He wants us to experience and know His mercy and to choose mercy for others.  His mercies are new every morning because He chooses mercy over righteous anger.  If He did not choose mercy, all of mankind would have been consumed by the intensity of His wrath against sin, against wrong, and against our rebel hearts, which cause us to hurt others and even to hurt ourselves.  The pain of life in a fallen world would be eliminated by God’s final judgement NOW if it were not for mercy, chosen in every moment as the sun rises on another part of the world around the clock.  It is a very good thing for all of us that God loves mercy and that human beings are not our final judge and jury.

Have you ever noticed that it can sometimes be difficult to read certain Psalms?  I cringe as the Psalmist asks God to judge those who are his “enemies” or who are simply referred to as “the wicked”.  And yet, because God is the righteous judge and is no respector of persons, He is the only one who can judge with perfect fairness.  He says, “Vengeance is mine,” not just because He will someday make everything right but also because we would never be able to be as impartial, fair, and just as He will be.  He wants us to choose to trust Him here and now, although we are fully aware that there is still injustice in this world, but that at some point He will make everything right.  And yet, God delays the final judgement… because He loves mercy.

Even in the lives of people we read about in the Bible, we can see a struggle to learn to love God’s mercy for others.

In Psalm 73, the Psalmist Asaph speaks of being confused by the prosperity of the wicked.  He talks about how they almost seem free from care and begins to wonder whether his own efforts to live for the Lord, walk with Him, serve Him, and do what is right are all in vain.  However, he does come to his senses in these verses:

15 If I had spoken out like that, (questioning whether loving and serving God is worth it)
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.

Asaph realized once again the goodness of God and that fact that His mercy will not delay judgement indefinitely.  At that point, he began to actually view the wicked with compassion, and his perspective completely changed.  He realized that he, himself, is rich in what all of the money amassed by the wicked could never purchase… salvation and relationship with the Lord.  Asaph also realized how senseless his earlier comparisons have been and what he has possessed all along.

When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Like Asaph, how can we do anything but rejoice in the fact that God is choosing mercy even for those who have wronged us, just as He chose mercy for you and for me?  He is a merciful and loving God.

So, in light of God’s mercy, what are we to do?  As we seek to focus on what is really important and to lay aside our tendencies to get caught up in what we observe, what frame of mind should replace our tendency towards judgement of others?  Here’s one answer, from Romans 12:1-2.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

When we read the phrase, “in view of God’s mercy” in the scripture above, we need to think about what that really means.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters,

…even though the world is filled with injustice…

…even though people prey upon and use other people…

…even though good people will sometimes be victimized…

…even though people we love may be hurt…

…even though the thoughtlessness of others breaks our hearts

…even though the evil of this world distresses and disgusts us

I urge you… in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,

…to offer your hurts…

…to offer your confusion…

…to offer your right to take revenge…

…to offer your all… even when life doesn’t make sense…

…. a sacrifice… holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship.

(In choosing to make this sacrifice of surrendering our all, we are also choosing to trust Him with everything.  Why?  Because we know that He is good and merciful and just.)

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

What is God’s good pleasing, and perfect will for us?  It’s found in Micah 6:8.  We are called to “Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.”

☆ Do what is right.

☆ Be merciful to those who do wrong (and love the fact that God stands ready to be mercy-full to everyone at all times).

☆ And, walk humbly with our God (which we can only do when we remember that we, too, are recipients of His mercy).

Sometimes, we want to pick and choose the people who we feel “deserve” God’s mercy, although we really know better.  We know that truly, none of us deserve mercy.  It is freely given because of God’s amazing grace.  It is not earned.  We are incapable of earning His mercy.

So, when we feel the tendency to judge someone else without calling upon God’s mercy on their behalf and praying for their salvation…  when our expectations are disappointed…  when we have been hurt…  when we or someone we love has been victimized…  when we feel powerless over injustice…  when innocence is abused…

Let us always remember the final destiny of those who reject God, and let us desire His mercy even for these.

Because God loves mercy. 

God loves people, sinful people, and He longs to be merciful to them when they turn to Him in need of forgiveness and salvation. 

Let us fight the tendency in our lives to focus on the unimportant, and let us be transformed through the renewal of our minds.  Let us keep moving forward in this journey toward Christlikeness, and let us choose mercy.  Let us choose God’s mercy and grace toward others rather than becoming mired in our own opinions, which would only result in continual disappointment and stall our growth as Christians.

To that end, these are the things that I want to focus on in order to avoid becoming more caught up in what I believe is right than in the mercies of God.

love is a verb*  I want to avoid assumptions, realizing that we often don’t know the challenges that others are facing.

*  I want to have the mind of Christ, looking beyond the sad and shocking and even disgusting behavior to the person in need of a Savior.

*  I want to employ grace with fellow believers, realizing that we are all in the process of becoming more like Christ and that it is a long journey for all of us.

*  I want to learn to love mercy.  When it comes to my own behavior, I am required to behave justly and “do” justice.  However, when it comes to the behavior of others, the requirement changes.  In regard to others, I am required to love mercy, recognizing my own need for mercy and the fact that I was undeserving of the mercy that I have personally been shown by God, based upon my own actions in choosing my way over His.

***  Most of all, I want to remember these things:  ***

*  Judging any human being as “more unworthy” of God’s mercy because of what they are doing or saying, what they wear, listen to, or read, their current beliefs, what they eat, or substances they use, is just simply wrong.

*  Relationship with God, love for the Lord, and thankfulness are more important than any posture of prayer, any show of piety, and even more significant than a person’s current level of knowledge or maturity as a Christian.  God gives us the opportunity to grow in Christ, and we should extend that grace to others as well.

*  Connecting others with a message and an experience of grace and salvation is more important than our human ideas of behavioral perfection.

*  Style (in music, clothing, or anything else) is less important than the heart of worship and the hearts of people.

*  Opinions (and even deeply held convictions) will not reach hearts like the love of Christ.

*  Only God can work in the hearts of others to draw them to a place of deeper spiritual relationship and commitment.   Conviction of the heart over one’s wrong-doing or lack of love is the Holy Spirit’s job, not mine.
(I’m too busy dealing with my own spiritual mess.)

*  Finally (and most importantly), what bothers me about this world needs to be turned upside down…

love like Jesus…  so that I become

more and more bothered

by my own lack of concern

for the eternal destiny of others

than by the stinking graveclothes of sin and spiritual death

that have often prevented me

from seeing the person

rather than the actions

and words and attitudes

of a lost soul that needs Jesus

or a fellow traveller,

who, like me,

has encountered some bumps in the road

on the path to Christlikeness.

Love gives

 

Love is the cross

The Prayer of a Forgiven Heart

Lord, may my first thought be love.
May my second thought be a prayer.
May my actions demonstrate grace and humility.
May my heart be broken by the brokenness in this world…
and in my own life.
May my opinions matter less than my desire to bring You glory.
May my life be given to serving others and lifting up Your name.
May my heart be given to You.
May my mind be transformed by Your Spirit.
May my time and talents and resources be committed to Your plan for my life.
And may I always be mindful that You are the Giver of all good things,
the Lover of my soul,
the Joy of my heart,
the Fountain of mercy and grace,
and the Source of pure and sacrificial love.

In Jesus’ holy and powerful name,

Amen

Carry eacvh other's burdens

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This post, including “The Prayer of a Forgiven Heart” was written by Cynthia A. Boyd.

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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