honoring Him

Friday Nov. 4th - Psalm 50 - Honoring Him!

10:00 AM

 

Friday Nov. 4th

Psalm 50

Honoring Him!



Read Psalm 50

When the unexpected happens what do you do? We all have circumstances in our lives that happen and we wonder why?  The loss of a spouse, child, job, a divorce, our health…etc. you fill in the blank.  I cannot wish or will away any of these interruptions in my life.

 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” Psalms 50:15

In the day of distress we must apply to the Lord by fervent prayer. Our troubles, though we see them coming from God’s hand, must drive us to him, not drive us from him. We must acknowledge him in all our ways, depend upon his wisdom, power, and goodness, and refer ourselves wholly to him, and so give him glory. Thus must we keep up communion with God; meeting him with prayers under trials, and with praises in deliverances. Psalms 50:7 [Matthew Henry]

 There was a time in my life when it was all about works.  I believed that if I just did everything right, everything would work out all right.  But that is far from the truth.  He wants all of us to be surrendered to His will and not ours.  We can never do anything to earn His love and His salvation. That was done for us on the cross of Jesus.

 To obey is better than sacrifice, and to love God and our neighbor better than all burnt-offerings. We are here warned not to rest in these performances. Psalms 50:7

 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Psalms 51:16-17 

For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6

We are here warned not to rest in these performances. And let us beware of resting in any form. God demands the heart, and how can human inventions please him, when repentance, faith, and holiness are neglected? In the day of distress we must apply to the Lord by fervent prayer. Our troubles, though we see them coming from God’s hand, must drive us to him, not drive us from him. We must acknowledge him in all our ways, depend upon his wisdom, power, and goodness, and refer ourselves wholly to him, and so give him glory. Thus must we keep up communion with God; meeting him with prayers under trials, and with praises in deliverances. Psalms 50:7  [Matthew Henry]

 He is coming!  This excites me to know that we have eternal life to look forward to.

 Before the Lord, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.  Psalms 96:13

 I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving. Psalms 69:30

 The LORD is my strength and my shield;

My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him. Psalms 28:7

 Are you preparing for the days of uncertainty?

What are your habits with the Lord?    

He is coming again, be prepared!

 

Prayer

You are the God who created the heavens and the earth and all that it contains.  Sometimes it is hard to give thanks to You, I want to just focus on what is happening, but when I run to You, You rescue me!  Inside of focusing on my circumstances I choose to focus on You!  You are the God of my salvation and I sing praises to Your name.  I meditate on Your word and rejoice in You , my God!   

 

Lyn

 

Hebrews 13

Sacrifices Pleasing To God (Hebrews 13)

12:30 PM




Hebrews 13

God asks sacrifices of us. These sacrifices are things that we have a choice to offer. He never forces us to give but He delights in our obedience. God set the example of ultimate sacrifice by offering us salvation through the death of His son. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can find the source of one of the most important sacrifices God desires: the sacrifice of praise.
“Through him [Jesus]then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. (13:15)
Praising God may not always come easy. We may not always “feel like” offering praises. We may be dealing with sad, disheartening circumstances, fatigue, illness or depression. In contrast, we may be too comfortable in how well our life seems to be going to remember the source of our blessings. We may also just be too absorbed in the routines and “busyness” of our life schedules to take time to praise Him. But when we praise God, we keep our focus on the source of our hope, our blessings and our purpose.

God wants us to have giving hearts. When we give to others we show others the love of Christ. 
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (13:16)
God wants us to show genuine interest in the wellbeing of others. To love as Christ loves means to truly relate to what others are experiencing and to be supportive. Praying for each other, spending time talking with each other and helping to bear each other’s burdens strengthens the body of Christ. 
“Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” (13:1-3)

In our modern times of “instant gratification” and abundant temptations to increase our possessions or social status, it can be hard to check our hearts and find contentment in what we have and what our circumstances are. God wants to be our everything, more desired than anything the world has to offer. The things of “this life” will not be forever. God wants us to not become so attached to “this life” that we miss the rewards of eternity with Him. 
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."”(13:5)

Many think of sacrificing as losing or giving up something which equates with sadness, hardship, and difficulty but I don’t think that is what God has in mind. God wants our sacrifices to ultimately be for our good and wellbeing as well as for the benefit of others. He wants to help us and bless us in this process of offering sacrifices pleasing to Him.  “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”(13:20-21)

I remember singing a simple Doxology at the end of church services when I was a young girl. 
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost.
It was such a simple hymn of praise but I grew to treasure it. It always comforted me and lifted my spirits to sing it. We can always start with something simple and small. A simple prayer, a simple hymn, a visit with a friend, a phone conversation, a meal to a grieving family, etc. Ask God to show you the sacrifices that will be pleasing to Him. 


compassion

SoulSearching Sunday~All Creatures Here Below

12:00 AM

Sunday, September 30, 2018


Week Thirty-nine

Welcome!  We pray that you have all had a precious time worshipping the Lord this morning!  Below you will find some thought provoking questions that will provide you a starting point to your journal writing to complete this week.  We hope that you will find this time soul satisfying!

Our reading this week was Mark 15 - Luke 8:39...

 1. Jesus humbled Himself to become a man. When are you tempted toward pride and self-sufficiency? Ask God to help you humbly focus on Jesus rather then yourself today.

 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus Himself was baptized. As He was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove. (Luke 3:21-22)

 2. When have you witnessed or experienced a display of great compassion? Seek God for direction on how you can show compassion to someone today. Ask Him to help you see people as He does, looking past the ugly crookedness of their natures to see their needs.

 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. (Luke 6:36)

 3. This woman anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume. Think of all the reasons you have to love Jesus. Send your prayer of gratitude heavenward as a sweet-smelling sacrifice of praise.
I tell you, her sins - and they are many - have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love. (Luke 7:47)