blessings

Singing a new song - Psalm 96

11:17 AM

 


Psalm 96, Hebrews 3:7-11


Growing up I remember listening to America’s Top 40 with Casey Kasem. Each week I was excited to hear who held the coveted spot of the new number one song. And each week we too have a new song to sing. One of praise and worship to the Lord for His blessings, glory, and gift of salvation. Because His goodness and mercy are new each morning. (Lam. 3:23) And in our daily Christian walk, when we look, much is the evidence of Him lovingly, working in our lives daily. So how can we help but sing, “great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.” (Ps. 96:4)


Each day God is busy doing something new. He’s building up, tearing down, blessing, intervening, answering prayers, working miracles, and saving souls. For as He says in Isaiah, “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise from the end of the earth. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland”  (Is. 42:9-10, 43:18-19)


The “new song” we sing comes from when we experience God in a new way. I love how gotquestions.org puts it. “A new song springs forth unrehearsed from the heart of a worshiper who has been struck anew with wonder at the greatness of God and the salvation He has provided. When we see the mighty hand of God working in a way we’ve never observed before, we can’t help but burst forth with a song we’ve never sung before.” Every day the Lord never ceases to amaze me. Because just when I think I know all there is know about Him, He overwhelms my heart with something new! 


All of creation cries out in worship to God’s glory, splendor, and majesty. The heavens, earth, sea, fields, and even the trees, sing to the Lord a new song. For one day God will restore everything His hands have made to its original perfection. From the beginning, God has had His master plan in motion. And with the birth of Jesus Christ, that plan was made real before all mankind. In His amazing love, God planned to once and for all destroy evil and reconcile everything back to Himself, our great Creator. And one day soon, all will sing a new song praising and giving glory to Him alone! 


Pause and Reflect -

In this Psalm we are encouraged to sing to the Lord. What songs do you most enjoy singing to the Lord? Why do you like singing those? Why is the Lord worthy of our praise? What changes in nature are you most eager to see when the Lord reigns over all the earth?


Finally, let’s pray together, 

Our dearest Father in heaven above, hallowed be Thy name. Father we lift up our voices in praise and thanksgiving for the wonder that You have done in our lives. And we pray that our lives in thought, word, and deed, may be a song of praise to You, and the goodness of Your grace. Father may we declare Your glory, not only among those who know You, but also among those who do not. For You have sent us into this world to bring the good news of Your marvelous works, most of all Your salvation through Jesus Christ. And we thank You for the newness of Your goodness and mercy each morning. In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen.


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I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and I pray your day overflows with love and blessings.


💖Lisa

2 Peter

Not A Single Step, But A Journey {2 Pet. 1:1-2:21}

11:00 PM




Jesus had revealed to Peter that His death was imminent. Peter also knew that the Christians, in what is now modern day Turkey, were suffering persecution because of their faith. And so he wrote this letter to encourage, warn, and give them his final instructions before he was called home by the Lord.

One of the major themes of Peter’s letters is the importance of spiritual growth. From the beginning, God intended our lives as Christians to be ones of perpetual motion. Far from being our only step, receiving Christ as our Savior is just the first step in a lifelong trek of maturity and renewal; with the goal of becoming a perfect reflection of Jesus. So how do we grow spiritually? Peter tells us God gives us everything we need to become more like Him saying, “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (vs. 1:3-4)

What Peter is saying is that right now, we are each fully equipped to lead the lives that God has called us to lead. “As believers, we are partakers of a divine nature by which Jesus abides in us, and anything is possible by His power. We are also given awesome promises through which He develops His character in us.”...Dr. Charles Stanley. 

Yet even though it is God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, who transforms us into His image, it isn’t His plan to do it alone. He wants us to work hand in hand with Him to reach the level of maturity that lets us live a life that not only glorifies the Lord, but protects us from the corruption of the world. “So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Eph. 4:14) So what part does God expect us to play? Peter tells us that our part includes not only faith, but seven other Christian qualities that when applied to our lives, allow us to mature spiritually. They include diligence, moral excellence, knowledge, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

“The grace of God demands diligence, (doing one’s best) as believers grow. It leads to moral excellence, (fulfilling our designated purpose). But the Christian life is more than faith and practical goodness. There is also knowledge, which Christians need not fear; for truth will lead to understanding. Next is self control, which follows when believers submit to the control of the indwelling Spirit. From self control springs perseverance, the ability to endure difficult things. To persevere is added godliness or reverence toward God and fellow men. This leads to brotherly kindness, the outworking of the previous quality. The crowning Christian progress is love, a deliberate desire for the highest good in the one loved.”....Louis Barbieri

Peter goes on to warn that those of us who lack these qualities will be useless and ineffective servants of God, as blind as unbelievers, having forgotten our forgiveness from sins. But to us who use those qualities to grow Peter is quick to encourage saying, “as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” (vs. 1:10-11)

We’ve all heard the expression, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” And that’s just what the Christian life is all about. Its not a single step, it’s a journey. A journey of moving forward and growing in maturity in our walk with the Lord. It’s about working on deepening our relationship with God, and living a life that glorifies Him. It’s about allowing the fruit of Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23) to shine through us for the world to see. God promises to do His part. Shouldn’t we promise to do ours?