In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:1–5
So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:14
In Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. Colossians 2:9
Jesus, the Word made flesh thank you for humbly entering our world.
Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Thank you for suffering my punishment.
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6–11
Jesus, the Word made flesh, I join the heavenly choirs in praise.
“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:14
Jesus, the Word made flesh,
may thanks and praise fill my life.
Not just with words but with all I do.
Please help me live out my gratitude
through a surrendered heart and overwhelming love.
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“The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”Mark 12:29–30
If you’re like me, you want that. Oh, how you want that. But the truth is, I fall so far short of loving God the way He wants me to love Him. So much of “me” simply gets in the way.
If you relate to the struggle, will you pray with me…
God, Please Help Me Love You with All My Heart
Father, I want to love You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
How could I not? You have done so much for me.
You love me. 1 John 4:19
You are always with me. Isaiah 41:10 and Matthew 28:20
You gave Jesus to suffer and die for my sins. 2 Corinthians 5:21
You give me the gift of faith. Ephesians 2:8
You forgive me. 1 John 1:9
You give me everything I need. Luke 12:31
You give me Your Word. 2 Timothy 3:16 and Hebrews 4:12
You promise me eternal life in Your presence. Romans 6:23
And … Your Spirit helps me and prays for me. Romans 8:26
When I stay focused on You, when I worship You, when I’m still and listen, and when I pray without ceasing … it’s easy to love You with all my heart.
But when the enemy distracts and tempts me, when sin overtakes me, when life is hard or when I’m worried and afraid … I fall short and I’m sorry.
Your Son, Jesus said:
If you love me you will keep my commandments.John 14:15
“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”John 15:12
Again, I fall so far short of Your will for me. Please forgive me.
And help me…
Love You through worship and praise.
Love You through prayers of thankfulness.
Love You by making You my greatest treasure.
Love You by learning more about You every day.
Love You by obeying Your commandments.
Love You by loving others.
Loving You with all my heart is self-sacrificing service and that’s hard in a world that screams at me the importance of SELF.
I believe that by Your grace, You will help me love with a love that is patient and kind.
I believe as I surrender myself to You, You are able to give me everything I need to live free of jealousy and pride. You will help me to hold my tongue when I’m tempted to be boastful or rude. You will help me serve others, remain patient, and forgive. You will help me never give up and never lose faith. You will give me hope and the strength I need to endure through every circumstance. (Based on 1 Corinthians 13:4–7)
On my own, I can’t. But with Your help, I can and I will love You with all my heart.
Thank you, Father! Your grace overwhelms me. Amen.
You’ll want to subscribe to Counting My Blessings (if you haven’t already), to receive a link to 40 Days of Mountain Moving Prayers in your inbox each morning.
It’s true! This is the busiest time of the year but I promise this will only be a 2-minute a day commitment…
One that will ask and seek and knock through bold prayers … and watch what only God can do when we go to Him with anything is possible mountain moving prayers.
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“If you love me, obey my commandments.” John 14:15
Maybe, like me, you think … I love Jesus, I want to obey Him.
The other day a couple of questions came to mind that I’d never thought about before…
What are Jesus’ commandments? Are they different from the original 10 Commandments in the Old Testament?
It’s funny. I memorized John 14:15 years ago and I really have wanted to obey Jesus but I’ve never specifically thought about His commands.
The Gospels are full of Jesus’ instructions and counsel for the way His followers should live but I wondered how many of them would qualify as actual commands.
And I found 10 verses that began with words like, “you must” or “I tell you the truth” … verses I believe are Jesus’ Commandments.
Jesus’ Commandments and Why You Need to Know Them
♥ Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. John 13:34
Jesus kind of love is more than just warm feelings. Loving like Jesus is an attitude that is demonstrated through actions.
Life Application Bible Notes say: loving like Jesus is helping when it’s not convenient, giving when it hurts and putting the welfare of others ahead of our own.
♥“Repent of your sins and turn to God” Matthew 4:17
Repentance is defined as … turning from sin and dedicating yourself to the amendment of your life. (Miriam Webster Dictionary)
LAB Notes says that”becoming a follower of Jesus means turning away from our self-centeredness and “self” control and turning our life over to Christ Jesus’ direction and control.
♥“You must take up your cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
I’ll admit this one has been especially hard for me. I didn’t want any part of cross-carrying … so much so that I was afraid to completely surrender and follow.
Praise God, I’ve finally learned to believe … following Jesus trusts that God knows what’s best and that whatever He allows He will give me the strength and courage to endure.
♥“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else” and “Don’t worry” Matthew 6:33–34
When you and I seek God’s Kingdom above all else, we put Him first … we make knowing Him and knowing His will our greatest priority.
For me, worry happens when I take my focus off God and focus on my “what if” circumstances. When I stop seeking Him first. But staying focused on God is the antidote to worry! I love that!
♥“Become like little children.” Matthew 18:3
When the disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus answered, “Anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Being child-like involves being trusting, humble, and sincere.
Little children are comfortable in their own skin. They’re willing to be honest, knowingly dependent, and free of pretense. I want that!
♥“Keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:17
Jesus’ Commandments do not replace or change God’s Commands given on Mt. Sinai.
In fact, He summed up the original 10 Commandments in the next two commands…
♥“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” Mark 12:30
When you and I love God completely, we acknowledge Him for who He is … holy—set apart. Not one of many gods but THE I AM: Creator, Redeemer, Comforter, Father, and Friend. The One who defines Himself as “love.”
Dallas Willard defines love as, “being devoted to the good or well-being” of another.
I like that. Although I often fail at emotionally nurturing myself, I do work at taking care of myself – my “good and well-being.” I’m guessing you take care of yourself, too.
That defines loving our neighbor … doing good and taking care of each other. Looking out for the other person’s well-being. Can you imagine if everyone loved like that?! Wow!
♥ “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.Give, and you will receive.” Luke 6:36–38
Other translations say, “You must be merciful,” and others, “You must be kind.”
Compassion, mercy, kindness, and forgiveness should set us apart as followers of Jesus. Imagine what could happen if we decided to simply love each other and let God take care of the rest.
Have you noticed that when you smile at random strangers, they generally smile back? Kindness breeds kindness. Compassion leads to more compassion. Forgiveness … etc.
Not always, that’s true! But maybe we could transform our relationships if we determined to love intentionally.
♥“Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
And that’s the bottom line …
When people see what you and I have in Jesus, they should want what we have.
Too often Christians are perceived as judgmental … like they’re trying to guilt people into the Kingdom.
Who wants that?
Honestly, that wasn’t God’s plan for His people. Even when He gave the original commands to the wilderness wanderers, His desire was that His people would look different … so wonderfully different, that the people in the surrounding nations would want to know Him too.
Jesus lived His Commandments! He demonstrated His law of love!
If you’re squirming a little right now, I get it. I know I fall far short obeying His commands.
Jesus’ commandments go beyond “do this and don’t do that.” His commands go to the attitudes of our hearts and doing everything from a heart of love is hard for sinful people.
It’s really hard.
Thankfully, God offers us the help we need.
Jesus said…
“I will ask My Father and He will give you another Helper. He will be with you forever.” John 14:16 (NLV)
God sent the Holy Spirit to fill us with so much of His love that it can’t help but pour out of us onto and into others.
And we not only have the Holy Spirit…
We have Jesus, Himself, who died and rose again that we might be covered with His grace and mercy—His perfect forgiveness for the times we fall short.
That’s comforting, isn’t it?
All you and I need to do is set our hearts and minds on loving God and loving others.
That’s it!
God does the rest … giving us everything we need. He fills us with His love. He shows us where He wants to use us and He equips us to share His love with others.
When I look at the list above and think about how far I fall short, it helps to know that God is always faithful to help His children to do His will His way.
We can rest knowing that when we love God and seek Him first, He will pour so much of His love into us that with His Spirit’s help, following Jesus’ commandments will become our greatest desire and best blessed part of our lives.
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I am so excited to share a post by my friend, Carmen Brown, with you this week.
I was blessed to meet Carmen in person a little over a year ago. She writes to encourage wives and mothers to build their homes on a foundation of Christ. She says it’s her “desire to express understanding, compassion, and love to all the beautiful, strong, graceful wives and mothers who visit her at Married by His Grace.
Oh, and she’s also great at helping new bloggers with tips, ideas, and lots of encouragement.
Please welcome, Carmen! I KNOW you’re going to love her! She’s kind, caring, and she makes me laugh!
Amazing Worship Songs that will Make Your Day Better
I get hooked on worship songs. Once I fall in love with a song, I add it to a playlist and will play the list over and over. In the morning when I wake up, during breakfast time with my children, while working out, and most definitely in my prayer room as I am seeking after the Lord, my playlist will play.
I love finding songs that will lift me up to His presence, bring peace to my worship time, and even clarity to how good God truly is to us.
All of this helps me have a good day as a wifey, with my children, as a full-time Blogger at home, and especially within myself. Worship music builds an intimate connection with God.
Listening to music is a form of worship that I can be on the go with. I love that I am either praying continuously throughout the day or I am singing praises unto Him. I do it so much that I even catch my children starting to sing when there is complete silence longer than a minute.
Oh, my goodness…it just melts my heart. Vision it….worshiping with your children through music. To me(deep sigh)…..Nothing beats that!
Worship music is seriously one of the best ways to shift the atmosphere. The Bible tells us, “Submit yourself unto God, Resist the Devil, and he shall flee.” (James 4:7)
Worshiping the Lord our God is the best way to completely submit yourself unto God, by doing so you will resist anything that is not of God, which then does not allow the devil to be around. 1,2,3, take the fact as it is and enjoy the worship music!
Right now my top song to play about ten times a day is, ‘Reckless Love’. I mean who doesn’t love that song? It completely describes the “overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.” Like how I added that?!!
I love the Reckless Love song because after hearing Cory Asbury live performance to this song, I received a great understanding as to what this song meant to him. He read the scriptures when Jesus spoke the parable of leaving the ninety-nine to save the one (Luke 15:4). This song is anointed and driven with a passion for the love of Christ which is all I ask for in a worship song!
There is just something about worship music; whether it’s with a slow soothing repetitive beat or a powerful anointing drumming sound to fire you up with a massive amount of energy for the day or not. Any song that represents the Lord’s love for us is an anthem to any day we have.
I encourage you to lay before Him for five minutes to just think upon the words we are listening to. Let it take you to complete solitude with Him, our Father. Let it enrich every thought you have about Him. Allow yourself to grow deeper in His magnificent love for us.
Honestly….this is not even close to ALLLL my favorites but I hope you get the point: Worship music is AWESOME!
Seriously though …..Worship music is extraordinary songs sung by ordinary people just like you and me. Just people loving to praise Him with all our heart and might through expressions of words.
I am a writer and knowing the power of words is something I take very literally; especially when it comes to glorifying God.
Just for you…. I have created a Playlist of all the mentioned songs to a playlist. Click here to check it out.
Go about doing what you do…..just add some amazing music as you do it today!
Don’t forget to tell me your favorite worship song that I must have on my playlist, if not already mentioned.
Carmen Brown is the creator of Married by His Grace blog. Through her walk with Christ as a wife and mom of five, she actively writes to women who are desiring to build their home with the word of God. Her passions involve staying connected with her family, drinking an immense amount of coffee daily, and developing content that will help and encourage new Christian Bloggers. You can connect with Carmen on her blog,Instagram, andPinterest.
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I’m taking a bit of a writing break so I can fill this space with fresh new content beginning in August. So, for the next eight weeks, I’ll be sharing the Summer Sizzle Blog Hop 2018 each Monday.
And…
A Countdown of my most popular posts here at Counting My Blessings each Friday.
Of course, I’m looking forward to welcoming you here each Friday for the Faith ‘n Friends Link Party!
Today – I’m starting with the 8th most visited and most popular post here at CMB.
7 of the Best Verses To Inspire Your Worship of God
I walk outside in the morning and lift my eyes. Trees blow in the breeze as clouds drift across the sky. Birds sing as squirrels and chipmunks scurry and I stop for just a moment to watch my little world and worship the Creator.
The One who alone is worthy of my praise.
Then I start my day and busyness creeps in and my thoughts wander (not always in a good or worshipful way) and I fail again to give Him my all.
Like Paul, the good I want to do, well . . . I just don’t do it.
I know there is nothing good in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do good but I do not. Romans 7:18
I want to be completely surrendered to God’s love . . . to give Him my heart, mind, soul, and strength. But in the daily, in the living, I fail to worship Him fully and faithfully.
Look at this quote from Brother Lawrence…
“To worship God is to admit that we are entirely contrary to Him and that He is willing to make us like Himself.”
Don’t you love that?
God already knows you and I are contrary. He knows we’re not going to do life “right”not any part of it—even worship.
So, He’s given us what we need. Examples. Words of worship in the Scriptures to get us started.
Because…
“Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father.” ~Richard J. Foster
Psalm 103:1-4
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart,
I will praise His holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with
love and tender mercies.
Many believe David wrote Psalm 103 later in life because it is written with such humble awareness of God’s amazing grace and tender mercy.
You and I can know, like David, that no sin is too great and no sinner too flawed. God redeems broken people and that alone is an awesome reason to worship Him.
Isaiah 25:1
I honor you and praise You because
You have done amazing things. You have always done what You said You would do;
You have done what You planned long ago.
God always keeps His promises. He always has and He always will!
You and I can count on His promises in a world where we can’t count on much.
What promise are you holding close today? You can count on God! You can trust Him!
Psalm 63:3–4, 7–8
Because Your love is better than life, I will praise You. I will praise You as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in prayer to Your name.
Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. I cling to You;
Your strong right-hand holds me securely.
Scholars believe David wrote Psalm 63 while he was in the wilderness running from his son, Absalom, and those who were attempting to dethrone him.
Can you imagine? Stopping and writing a song of praise while you’re running for your life from your own child.
No matter what is going on in your life . . . God is there. He loves you. His mighty strong right-hand is holding you securely and He will not let go of you.
Ephesians 3:20–21
Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Paul wrote this from a Roman prison. Why was he imprisoned? For preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When you are discouraged or afraid because of the way Christians are being persecuted around the world remember, God is on the throne. He is at work and able to accomplish far more than you could ever ask or imagine.
Exodus 15:1-3
“I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously;
He has hurled both horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song;
He has given me victory. This is my God,
and I will praise Him—my father’s God,
and I will exalt Him! The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is His name!
Imagine yourself trapped next to a sea … your enemy is coming for you and getting closer. Suddenly the waters part and you cross safely to the other side on dry ground and as you look back from safety those chasing you drown when the sea returns to normal.
Exodus 15 is Moses’ “Song of Deliverance.”
Are you going through a storm? Do you feel like your enemies are gaining on you? Is fear distracting you and making it hard to worship?
God is with you. He is the God of miracles. He is able to deliver you to safety.
Psalm 100
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation.
Any collection of worship verses must include Psalm 100. It’s my favorite.
We don’t know who wrote it but historians believe it was written as a call to worship when the Temple was restored and the exiles returned to Israel.
God made you. He claims you as His own. He is good and His love is unfailing. This is a great Word to write in your prayer journal so you have it close when life’s problems make it hard to worship.
Whatever our circumstances … God is worthy of our worship and praise!
Revelation 4:11
“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For You created all things, and they exist
because You created what You pleased.”
And the song of worship and praise will continue for all eternity.
You were created because it pleased God to create you. He wants a relationship with you.
Imagine that . . . the God of the universe loves you and wants a relationship with you.
I can’t think of a better reason to praise and worship Him today, tomorrow and forever.
Finally, a quote to inspire you…
“Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can’t contain Him. Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?” ~Francis Chan
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God created us to worship Him but even those who say they don’t believe in God … worship something.
We are hardwired to worship.
So in this “hard questions” series – I’m asking…
What is the right way to worship God?
How does He really want me to worship Him?
How does He want the church to worship Him?
Since God created us to worship and He mentions it 496 times in the Bible, I believe it’s important to Him. So, I looked for answers to the what, who, and how of worshiping God the way He wants personally and in community.
I started by defining the what of worship in general.
The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, prizing God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ.
The Life Application Notes define worships as – n. – reverent devotion and allegiance pledged to God; and v. – to regard with great extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.
I would say it like this…
Worship is much like loving God – heart, mind, soul, and strength. It is getting to know Him with our heads, cherishing Him in our hearts, and surrendering our lives to Him … through obedience, service, gratitude, and praise.
Brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Romans 12:1
And who are we to worship?
The Triune God—Father, Son (Jesus), and Spirit.
You must not have any other God but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. Exodus 20:3–5
It’s easiest to think of these “other gods” as those worshipped by other religions . . . Allah, Buddha, etc. But you and I can make anything or anyone an idol — Celebrities. Spouse. Children. Possessions. Career. Position or Popularity. Comfort or Looks? Anything that takes God’s place in our lives is an “other god.”
So…
What is the right way to worship God personally?
Jesus summed up the how of worship when He said…
“The time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”John 4:23–24
Worshiping God in spirit and truth is worshiping Him with our hearts and our minds. (spirit and truth)
It begins by KNOWing God for who He is . . . not who we think He is but who He says He is.
That’s worshipping Him in truth.
Praise God, the Holy Spirit – living within us teaches us the truth and helps us worship God as He wants.
For me, it means getting to know Him by spending time with Him through prayer and Bible Study … because the more I know Him … the more I love Him and the more I love Him … the more I will worship Him.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30
Love and worship go together – it’s hard to have one without the other.
What is the right way to worship God in community?
What is the right way to worship God at church?
I think God’s people disagree more about worship styles than almost anything else in the church.
There are as many worship styles as there are churches and everyone has an opinion about the style their church should practice. There’s traditional, contemporary, rock, folk, liturgical, non-liturgical, with instruments, without instruments, dancing, clapping, raised hands, bowed heads, and I’m sure I’ve missed a few.
I believe Rev and I have experienced almost every worship style at one time or another and although I have my preferences that’s all they are . . . preferences.
The Bible doesn’t give us many specifics of how God wants us to worship Him in community. A few verses that give us specifics are:
Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe. Hebrews 12:28
Or as the LAB notes say — “great extravagant respect, honor, or devotion”
Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
First of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy 2:1
Paul began his counsel on worship telling people to pray and…
What am I saying, Christian brothers? When you meet together for worship, some of you have a song to sing. Some of you want to teach and some have special words from God. Some of you speak in special sounds and some of you tell what they mean. Everything should be done to help those who are meeting together to grow strong as Christians. 1 Corinthians 14:26 (NLV)
Whatever your church leadership decides is the best way to help its members worship – the goal should be everyone growing stronger as followers of Christ!
So, it’s not about the right kind of music or formula. Not how the service sounds or what it looks like. But about surrendering our hearts and minds to the power of the Holy Spirit as we seek to KNOW God better, love Him more deeply, and follow Him more closely.
What is the right way to worship God?
It is setting your heart and mind on adoring God for who He is and all He’s done. It is growing more and more in love with Him – until you love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Worship is focused on God – not on the pastor, the music, or your personal preferences.
So if you ever sit there during a service and think:
I hate this song.
Wow, that musician is terrible.
I can’t believe the reader wore that to church.
The pastor really didn’t hold my attention today.
Why can’t we just go back to the way things used to be?
What is wrong with this music, you can’t even sing along?
Yeah, that’s not worship!
And yes, I’m guilty!
That’s why I’m challenging myself to make true worship my goal going forward.
That means – I’m making God my focus as I celebrate Him with GRATITUDE and JOY personally and in community!
Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy. Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever.
Psalm 100:2,4–5a
And I’m making it my goal to surrender every day to God as an act of worship and praise.
Brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Romans 12:1
I love this quote from Timothy Keller…
“God directs his people not simply to worship but to sing his praises ‘before the nations.’ We are called not simply to communicate the gospel to nonbelievers; we must also intentionally celebrate the gospel before them.”
And this one from Robert Webber…
“Worship is an it-is-well-with-my-soul experience.”
That is worship!
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Maybe you’re someone who reads the First Commandment,
You must not have any other god but me. Exodus 20:3
and thinks…
Whew, I believe in God as He is revealed in the Bible. I’m good on that one. That’s one commandment I don’t have to worry about.
I’m not. I’ve had times when I’ve worried about my ability or should I say, lack of ability, to obey God’s First Commandment.
Not because I worshipped the gods of other religions but because I questioned whether I loved other things more.
Did I love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength?
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30
But I wondered if I could love God and put Him first “no matter what?”
I’d read Job…
Everything was taken from him – his wealth, his children, his position, and his health … and through his grief he proclaimed:
“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” Job 1:21
Could I do that?!
Could I still worship and love God with all my heart. soul, mind, and strength if everything was gone? And if I couldn’t, I felt I had to ask myself if my family, our careers, our home, our positions and a long list of other things had become “other gods.”
My verse for this year is Matthew 6:33
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”
And verse 34 says:
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
If I was putting my relationship with God first … I should have been able to trust Him to give me everything I NEEDed and not worry.
Oh, but I worried! Remember, I’d read the Book of Job!
I’d also read Jesus words:
“In this world you will have troubles.”
I know, I was ignoring the rest of that verse…
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
And – Take heart! I have overcome the world! John 16:33
All I could focus on was the trouble part. I was young, but I’d lived long enough to know that life was full of troubles.
Could I still worship and love God if God was all I had?
The Apostle John challenges us with the following:
Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. 1 John 5:21
But our family? Career? Position? Home? Reputation? SELF?
How do we “keep away” from those things?
It’s hard, isn’t it?!
There are so many things vying for our time, attention, admiration, and affection. And the Job factor, always made me wonder at what point God’s blessings could become “other gods” in my life.
The Life Application Bible Notes say the following about God’s First Commandment:
Today we can allow many things to become gods to us. Money, fame, work, or pleasure can become gods when we concentrate too much on them for personal identity, meaning, and security. No one sets out with the intention of worshiping these things but by the amount of time we devote to them they can grow into gods that ultimately control our thoughts and energies.
That’s a hard word, isn’t it?
Before you leave completely discouraged, there is HOPE!
It’s the part I didn’t trust before God did His big work in me.
I had been relying on myself. I believed I had to give God first place in my life on my own. I believed it was up to me to love Him completely.
I was wrong!
In His grace and mercy, God allowed me to lose a few of the “other gods” in my life and although the grief was overwhelming … I didn’t run from God; I ran to Him.
And He proved Himself to be who He says He is. I learned I could trust Him.
Because He is…
Ready to help!
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1
Rescuer!
“Call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” Psalm 50:15
Gracious and merciful!
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.Hebrews 4:16
Strength!
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
The truth is when you and I believe we have to obey God’s commands on our own, we make ourselves small “g” gods.
You and I don’t have to do it alone. God is gracious, merciful, and ready to help. He is rescuer and strength. And when we fail … He forgives.
Obeying God’s First Commandment means surrendering and trusting.
Surrendering all that we are and all that we have to the One who gave everything for us. It’s trusting His grace, mercy, and love are greater than our circumstances … great enough to meet every need!
You see, it’s true!
In this world, you and I will have trouble!
God may give you more than you can handle but He will never leave you to handle it alone!
He will give you everything you need to trust and love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
I know! Because He’s done it for me and He is able to do it for you!
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With so many religions, how is a person supposed to know what to think?
I promised we would look for answers to the hard questions and since we talked about the Bible last week … it seemed like addressing the 1st Commandment might be a good place to go next.
The first on God’s list of commandments in Exodus 20 is:
“You must not have any other gods except me.” Exodus 20:3 (NCV)
God told His people not to worship other gods because people WERE worshipping other gods.
I believe God wired people to need more from life than what’s right in front of them. He wired us to seek Him.
Solomon wrote:
He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (AMP)
In the seeking, people create their own ideas about god and truth.
But that’s nothing new.
Solomon also wrote:
History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. Ecclesiastes 1:9–10
Today – there are still 5 major religions with thousands of denominations and sects.
It gets confusing?
And I believe like God’s children in Israel, people just want to get along. They want to be popular. So, it’s easier to conclude that there are many paths to the same god.
Let’s ask the hard question…
Are There Many Paths to God?
I found the following article at EveryStudent.com.
5 Things that Set Christianity Apart from All Other Religions
♥ God loves you.
God is love and His love shows in everything He does.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love.1 John 4:16
♥ God seeks you.
God wants a personal relationship with each uniquely created person.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my bodyand knit me together in my mother’s womb. How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! Psalm 139:13,17
“For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”Luke 19:10
I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again.Ezekiel 34:16a
♥ Works can’t save you.
No matter how hard a someone tries … their good is not good enough.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23
For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.James 2:10
For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. Romans 3:20
But God…
♥ Saved you through Jesus – the only way to God!
Jesus is the only way to God!
God’s love, grace, and mercy are so overwhelming He sent Jesus to live the perfect life you and I are unable to live, suffer death as punishment for our sins, and rise again so that through faith in Him we can live with God forever.
We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him.When He died, He died once to break the power of sin. But now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God. Romans 6:9–10
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. John 11:25–26
♥ Simply believe (trust and follow) Jesus.
Faith in Jesus – that trusts His Word and follows His teachings builds a relationship with God that is not possible any other way.
God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8–9
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.Romans 10:9
♥God is with you.
And because of His great love, God doesn’t leave us to trust and follow on our own. His Spirit is present with everyone who believes … to guide, help, and bless them day by day.
Jesus said, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.” John 14:23
Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.Ephesians 3:17
The difference between Christianity and every other religion…
It’s not about you and it’s not about doing it right.
Christianity is about Jesus … God in the flesh who loves you so much He would rather die for you than live without you.
It’s about the freedom to love because you are already forgiven and loved. It’s about getting to follow God’s will because He is alive and active in your life and knows what is best for you. It is about faith, hope, and love!
All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:12b–13
Christianity is not one of many paths to God – it is the path!
I know many of you reading this already trust and follow Jesus … the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Maybe you know someone who believes there are many paths to God and that all religions are basically the same. I would love for you to share this with them.
One more thing…
I know God’s command to “have no other gods” goes beyond taking a look at other religions. So, I’m hoping you’ll come back next time when we’ll take a broader look at His 1st Commandment.
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Each time I work my way through the books of the Law, the historical books, the Psalms, and the prophets … I am overwhelmed with gratitude that the Lord of the universe wants us to know Him. Really KNOW Him!
And now, I’m settling in and sitting at the feet of Jesus.
The more I read the Bible – the more I want to read the Bible!
I don’t comment as often as I’d like on posts because, well, I read hundreds of blogs posts each week. But this one…
As I read through the comments, I felt impressed to add my thoughts.
So, I wrote…
If the Bible is just another book then the author of the GQ article has a point. BUT – if the Bible is the inspired Word of God and used by the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts and minds of those who read and hear it, then it is the one book everyone should read. I began reading through it every year … ten years ago. This year, I’m reading it with all the Life Application Bible Notes. Every day I am overwhelmed with the message of God’s love for people who continually fail Him. It makes me want to know Him better, trust Him more, and love Him above all else. That is one life-changing book!
Later in the day, I received an email with this reply from another reader…
It’s not what you believe, its what you do that matters. that being said, most devout Christians are also some of the biggest jerks I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.
Ouch!
But she has a point.
So, I added this…
I’m so sorry you’ve had such negative experiences with Christians. Me too! We’re all flawed. Christians too! And as much as I want to live a life that honors God, I fail often. I need to say, I’m sorry to people and ask God for His forgiveness as well. I challenge you to read the Bible with an open mind. Don’t make your decisions about Jesus based on imperfect people. Our tendency to be jerks on occasion is the very reason we need Him. One more thing … some of the Christians I know are extremely kind and selfless. I really hope you get to meet some people like them, too!
What’s the point? Why am I sharing this with you?
Because dear friend, people are watching and listening.
I’m sure you’ve seen the quote:
“Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some person ever reads.”~ William J. Toms
How to Be a Living Bible Without Embarrassing Jesus
Paul wrote:
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:1–3
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Ephesians 5:1–2
When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:1–2
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Philippians 2:3,5
I know there are many more verses but I’ll hold there as I’m feeling convicted; maybe you are too. If you’re like me, you know how often you’ve blown opportunities, and fallen short of loving like Jesus would have you love. I’m guilty of embarrassing Jesus!
And I’ll be honest with you, sometimes fear of falling short keeps me from saying anything at all because I don’t want to mess up.
But that’s not the answer either!
What is the answer?
Lead with love!
Before you say anything remember that everyone is someone who is precious to God and dearly loved by Him! Loved so much that…
Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:6–8
Then tell people how much Jesus, who died for them, loves them. Point them to Bible that is able to tell them all about the God who loves them, and let the Holy Spirit do the convicting on what is right and wrong.
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:7–8
I know…
It’s convicting!
I don’t love the way God wants me to; so, I’m praying and asking God to help me do better.
I’m asking Him to help me…
remember how much He has forgiven in me.
stay humble … knowing I don’t have all the answers.
listen with compassion.
think and pray before I speak.
stop and think before I leave a snarky comment online.
talk more about Jesus than “right” and “wrong.”
stop condemning “big” sins while excusing “little” ones.
I’m guessing you could add to this list.
I want people to look at my life and see the spiritual blessings of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
When you and I focus on trying to convince someone of the error of their ideas and/or actions without loving them we fail to show them love.
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I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.
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“Hi. My name is Gretchen and I’m a grudge-holding, fault finding, over-responsible, jealous, insecure, people-pleasing perfectionist. Oh, did I mention a know-it-all? I’m that too.”
As I read her words, I found myself smiling at her honesty and nodding my head in agreement because I could so easily replace her name with my own. (You can read the rest through the link in the features below.)
I fall so far short of God’s will every single day.
Lately, I’ve been digging into the writings of the prophets and I’m learning something…
They weren’t writing about obedience, they were writing about love. God’s love! Verse after verse God asked the prophets to tell His people how much He loved them and how He longed for them to love Him in return!
I get tears in my eyes when I think of how often I’ve gotten it wrong.
Although I need God’s forgiveness because I’ve failed to obey Him, more than anything, I need His forgiveness because I’ve failed to love Him as He wants me to.
And as I wrote the other day … I’ve even failed to love Him as I want to.
He wants our heart, soul, mind, and strength love.
Our all – not our leftovers.
So, today I’m asking Him to help me love Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength love.
I’d love for you to pray with me…
Praying – God, Please Help Me Love You More
With my all – heart, soul, mind and strength.
♥ All My Heart
When I pray to love God with all my heart – I want to make Him my greatest treasure … valuing my relationship with Him, with Jesus, over anything and everything else in my life.
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:21
Father, I want to love You with all my heart but too often, I fail to cherish You as my greatest treasure. Please forgive me. Life is so busy and boisterous. I get distracted by stuff and relationships. I let my wants and wishes take priority over Your will for me. I’m so sorry.
Help me, Lord. I want my relationship with You to be the priority of my life. I need Your Holy Spirit to help me stay focused on Jesus when the world and its problems try to distract and defeat me.
Be my treasure, Lord! Be my pearl of great value and my heart’s desire. Help me love You more – with all my heart. Amen.
♥ All My Soul
When I pray to love God with all my soul – I want to love Him with all I am … with my will (attitudes and intentions), my emotions, my thoughts and feelings, and my body.
Praise the Lord! Let all that I am praise the Lord. Psalm 146:1
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. Psalm 62:5
Father, That is my prayer … all that I am love!
Your Word says You know everything about me. You know where I am and what I do. You know my personality, my talents, my feelings, my attitudes, and my intentions. Every thread of my DNA is known to You … created for Your plans and purposes. (Psalm 139, Jeremiah 29, Isaiah 44)
Father, I surrender my all to You. I give You my worship and praise, my prayers, my heart. Help me love you more – with all my soul.Amen.
♥ All My Mind
When I pray to love God with all my mind – I want to love Him with my reason and intellect. I want to know Him through Jesus, the Way, Truth, and Life.
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christand become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:8–9
Father, Jesus is my Way, my source of Truth, my Life-giving Savior. Jesus, the Word made flesh, showed us Your love.
Thank you, for Jesus, for Your mercy and grace. Help me trust and obey You as my humble response to all You have done for me.
When I’m confused and the world tries to pull me away … guide me by Your Word and strengthen me to trust and obey. Forgive my failures and help me recommit each day to you.
By the power of Your Spirit, help me know and love You as I read and study Your Word and come to You in prayer. Help me love You more – with all my mind. Amen.
♥ All My Strength
When I pray to love God with all my strength – I want to love Him by what I do and say. I want to honor Him with my abilities, my resources, and my service. I want to the people in my life to see Jesus and glorify God.
God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8–10
Father, You have people for me to love and things for me to do. By Your grace, help me. You give me everything I need to do them. May I be generous with the blessing You give. Make me sensitive to the needs of others. Make me loving and kind.
Father, help me serve You in ways that show people how much You love them. I don’t want them to see the goodness in me … I want them to see Your goodness, faithfulness, and love. Help me love You more – with all my strength.Amen.
Through Jesus, you and I have everything we need to love God more. To love Him heart, soul, mind, and strength.
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May your week be blessed with faith, love, and friendship!
Don’t forget to leave your prayer requests…
and pray over the list left by our friends.
I always enjoy hearing from you! Please take a minute to say ‘hi’ and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Have you visited the Faith ‘n Friends Link Party Board on Pinterest? It’s a great place to catch up with past posts you may have missed here at the party and/or save them for a future read! If you’d like to become a contributor to my Pinterest Group Boards – email me at deb@debwolf.com with a link to your Pinterest home page.
And if this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Maybe a friend, family member, coworker, or through the links below…
It’s been years, but I can still picture them well.
They were members of our small church in St. Louis.
For my story today, I’m going to call them members A and B.
Member A –
A was a slightly built man with a wisp of silver hair. He had a huge smile and a bear hug that wrapped around you and well, you just knew he meant it! Both A and his wife were humble servants … faithfully doing the unheralded jobs that few others wanted to do. They were always there early and they stayed late.
I picture A standing near the entrance welcoming everyone who walked in with a handshake or a hug and the following simple sentence:
Do you know how much Jesus loves you?
Rev remembers how he would bring his 5’8″ frame right up to his 6’6″ one, grab him by the collar, look him in the eye and say, “I pray for you every single day!” And we knew he did!
Member B –
Member B was a taller more distinguished looking man. He always held leadership positions and knew how the church should run. He liked tradition and was outspoken and unhappy about most changes. He served that church and gave generously. He was doing it right and felt it important that he should help others “do it right,” too!
I remember one exchange with B’s wife …
Rev and I had struggled with secondary infertility for 7 years. One particularly bad hormone swing day, I shared with her that I was hurting and sad. She stepped in close, shook her finger in my face, and told me I should be ashamed of myself. I was blessed with two healthy children and I should stop feeling sorry for myself and be thankful.
I was thankful for my children! Very thankful. I just had an exceptionally powerful mom gene! And at that moment, more than anything I needed love, kindness, and compassion.
Two members – One Church
One full of love the other full of self righteousness.
I believe A and B and their wives loved Jesus and that they were trying to follow Him to the best of their abilities.
I also believe there is a little A and B in each of us.
I wrote the following as part of Mondays’ post…
God selected Abraham and his descendants as His chosen people not to exclude the other nations but because He wanted to draw all people to Himself through them. Had the Israelites followed God’s will they would have shown surrounding nations the blessings of living as God’s children.
God wanted His people to be “holy” or “set apart” … to look different from everyone else because as He blessed their obedience, others would want what they had.
Then on Tuesday morning, I read the following in Ezekiel…
I gave them my decrees and regulations so they could find life by keeping them.And I gave them my Sabbath days of rest as a sign between them and me. It was to remind them that I am the Lord, who had set them apart to be holy. Ezekiel 20:11–12
Decrees and regulations so they could find life.
A day of rest as a sign of the covenant … that they were set apart as His. A day to refocus their priorities and remember all He had done for them.
Why?
Love!!!
God gave His commands and the Sabbath out of love. He knew obedience would make their lives better. And He set them apart so the people around them would see the blessings of living in relationship with the one true God.
And yet, time and again, like you and me … God’s people failed to trust and obey completely.
They chose idolatry, power, prestige, popularity, and personal comfort over obedience. They wanted what the non-believers had. It looked good. It sounded good. It felt good.
It was self-focused and selfish.
I want to be like Mr. and Mrs. A! I want my love for Jesus to bubble out of me all over everyone who meets me. I want to serve humbly as an offering of gratitude for all God has done for me.
Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Ephesians 6:7
Unfortunately, I recall times when I’ve been more like Mr. and Mrs. B than I’d like to admit. Times when I was critical and judgmental, and yes, maybe even a little self-righteous.
So today, I asking God to forgive me. I’m also asking Him to help me keep my focus on Jesus.
Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Hebrews 12:1b–2a
I’m asking Him to help me love Him through obedience … not to win His pleasure or gain His blessings but to glorify and thank Him for all He has given me and done for me through Jesus.
John the Baptist said, “He must become more important while I become less important.” John 3:30
I like to say it this way…
Less of me! More of Jesus!
I want people to see Jesus in me. I want them to want what I have. I want them to love the One I love!
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And I have to admit, I feel bad for the prophets. I’ll bet they didn’t get invited to many parties! They spent their lives proclaiming God’s impending judgment on His people for their failure to trust God through obedience and love.
The more I read and studied, the more God lit this fire in my soul as He showed me verse after verse that could apply to our culture today.
A few verses that hit me hard are…
What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet bitter. Isaiah 5:20
Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Go and say to the people in Judah and Jerusalem, ‘Come and learn a lesson about how to obey me.'” Jeremiah 35:13
“Again and again I sent my servants, the prophets, to plead with them, ‘Don’t do these horrible things that I hate so much.’ But my people would not listen or turn back from their wicked ways.” Jeremiah 44:4–5a
These and other verses like them started my spirit squirming and I felt the Lord prodding me to write about the connection between obedience and love.
This is the deal…
I know you and I live under the New Covenant. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus.
Still, throughout the Bible, God says an important part of living our faith is doing our best to obey God’s commands and follow His will in loving response to who He is and all He’s done. In response to His love!
You see, the thing I keep thinking about is this…
Much of what the people were doing that brought about God’s punishment was passed down from one generation to the next. They listened to the wrong voices and when God sent them prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, they ignored them and continued to do what they’d always done — worshipping idols and ignoring the Sabbath.
And I wonder about the idols I might be serving without even realizing it and if I’m honoring the Sabbath the way God wants me to.
Because I love God and I want to love Him through obedience.
Something else Jeremiah called out – is that the people followed a worship ritual but maintained a sinful lifestyle. It was religion without a personal commitment to God. (Life Application Bible Notes Jeremiah 7:2–3)
I keep wondering if we’re worshipping God the way He wants … not only in honoring the Sabbath by going to church but by the way we spend that day and every other day of the week.
Again, remember … I’m not throwing out grace here. I am totally dependent on Gospel grace.
It’s easy to view the Old Testament as all “Law” and the New Testament all “Gospel.” But all of Scripture from Genesis through Revelation points to Jesus and He is the Gospel … obedience and love in human flesh!
God selected Abraham and his descendants as His chosen people not to exclude the other nations but because He wanted to draw all people to Himself through them. Had the Israelites followed God’s will they would have shown surrounding nations the blessings of living as God’s children.
God wanted His people to be “holy” or “set apart” … to look different from everyone else because as He blessed their obedience, others would want what they had.
Isn’t that what God wants for Jesus’ followers today?
When people see us enjoying the blessings of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control … they should want what we have.
That’s the backstory of God’s prompting and prodding me to write this new series.
It fits with my word for the year – SEEK.
And my verse, which is…
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.Matthew 6:33
There’s another one found just a few verses later:
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7
So, you and I are going to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK as we take a closer look at some of the hard questions facing Christians today about obedience and love.
Things like:
Is the Bible the Inspired and inerrant Word of God?
What does it mean to have NO OTHER GODS?
Does God care how I REMEMBER THE SABBATH?
How should I honor my parents when they make me crazy?
And then we’ll look at some of the hard sayings of Jesus like:
“Love your enemies.”
“Why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?”
And with each post, we’re going to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK.
We will…
ASK – Ask hard questions and ask God to reveal His truth and wisdom to us.
SEEK – Seek answers by searching through Scripture.
KNOCK – Knock down lies and walk through the door Jesus opens into freedom.
You and I serve an awesome and amazing God!
I want everyone to know, love, and trust Him.
Yet, for some reason, followers of Jesus are represented as judgmental and hypocritical.
Maybe we can change that!
Shouldn’t we try?!
This is important…
I’m on this journey with you!
I don’t have all the answers. I will never preach at you. I will only ask questions with you and I hope you’ll join me as we search for answers together. You see, although you and I may not have the answers now … we know the One who does and I believe, He wants us to know them.
Also…
I need your help with a couple of things and would love to hear from you…
I want to know your hard questions. What do you want to talk about?
And… I want to know your stories about the ways God is revealing the importance of loving Him through obedience.
Why seeking the truth about obedience and love is important to me…
I spent much of my life trying to be a “good girl.” I obeyed the rules and wore myself out trying to please God and people.
More recently, I’ve realized that some of the rules I was trying to obey were based on tradition not necessarily God’s will as He revealed it through His Word.
I want to know the difference. I want to know what’s important and what isn’t. Don’t you?
Jesus said:
Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. John 14:21
“All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.”John 14:23–24
And He promised:
“I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27
I love Jesus. I want to know His commands and obey them.
And…
I want people to see the blessings of Jesus in my life and want what I have.
I want them to know the blessings of loving Jesus, too.
Are you ready to ASK hard questions, to SEEK God’s will, and KNOCK on the door that Jesus will open … the one that leads to blessed freedom, joy, peace, love, and so much more?
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Some days I get up and I’ll admit, I’m thinking big picture wondering what God wants me to do with however many years I have left?
But most of the time, I just want to get through today.
This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
Rejoice, be glad, and live today.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
If only I could do that consistently.
I worry about the mess I made yesterday and the possibilities of tomorrow even though Jesus said…
So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Matthew 6:34a
Did you know the verse before is the what we should do instead of worrying? And it’s my verse of the year…
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33
Seek God’s will for today and live!
Why is that so much harder to do than it is to say? Because I’m prone to second-guessing yesterday and fretting about tomorrow.
I want to do better.
I want to seek God’s will and live today.
That’s it! So, I’m fleshing it out and getting specific.
When You Need to Know God’s Will for Today
I need to start with the following…
1. Let go of yesterday!
♥ Ask God to forgive my sins, failures, mistakes, and messes of the past. ♥ Forgive the people whose sins, failures, mistakes, and messes have hurt me.
I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.Philippians 3:13
On my own, whew, it’s hard to let go of yesterday … but with God’s help, I can do His will even when it’s hard.
2. Don’t worry about tomorrow!
I know worry robs me of today’s peace and joy, and truthfully it doesn’t improve tomorrow at all! I can’t live today well if I’m fretting about tomorrow.
“If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.” ~ Roy T. Bennet
Okay – being free of guilt and worry is a great start… what else does God want for my day – today?
But what does that mean? How do I make that more than just words?
♥ Heart – I will make God my heart’s desire. ♥ Soul – I will trust God and surrender my will (attitudes and intentions), my emotions, my thoughts and feelings, and my body to the truth of His Word. ♥ Mind – I will use my knowledge, my reason, and intellect to know God better each day. ♥ Strength – I will honor God with my abilities, my resources, my service, and the way I love the people around me.
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Mark 12:30
I believe God wants us to serve Him right where we are. That doesn’t me we can’t pursue new goals or move toward new opportunities.
But today…
You and I should simply do what He has given us to do. Be the best spouse, parent, child, coworker, neighbor, and citizen we can be. We’re not called to “do it all.” We’re called to do our best and love the people in front of us.
For me, that often has more to do with my attitude than my actions; so, I need to remember…
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Colossians 3:23
And do it…
5. All with an Eternal Perspective
I believe keeping an eternal perspective is the hardest part because everything else is right in front of us.
The messes I need to confess and forgive, the problems I worry about, the challenges that keep me from loving and serving well, and … well, you get the idea.
Life is hard!
Which is why you and I need an eternal perspective.
Most of the hard things of life lose their power when I ask myself a few important questions:
Will this matter ten years from now?
Will I even remember next year?
What is God’s view of today’s trouble? How does He want to use this in my life?
What do I need to do to live this moment for God’s glory?
It’s funny my attitude changes when I turn my focus from the problem to the problem Solver – to God Himself.
Two verses keep running through my heart and my head.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5–6
Whatever this day brings, good, bad, or somewhere in between, I don’t have to face it alone. God invites you and me to trust Him, to turn to Him, to ask, seek, and knock. He knows the way.
He is the way. He is eternal, the First and Last … the beginning and the end. And He’s given us a glimpse of His eternal plan so we can live today with His eternal perspective.
You and I can live today without guilt – when we know we are forgiven; without resentment – when we forgive; without worry – when we trust God’s promises for the future; with love – when we focus on the love He gives us to share with others.
It’s just a better way to live.
Today is a new day. A beautiful gift. It holds 24 hours of opportunities, choices, and attitudes. God has given us everything we need to live it for Him. It is precious and full of hope and promise.
I want to make today the best day possible; after all, it’s a one of a kind opportunity. 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, 86,400 breath receiving seconds.
I want to live it for God and for His glory!
I want to…
Love God and His people, all of them.
Know God and make Him known.
Trust Him, seek His will, and follow where He leads.
So, with His help, I will…
1. Repent and forgive.
2. Don’t worry.
3. Love God.
4. Love my people.
5. Keep an eternal perspective.
That’s it! God’s will for today!
What do you think? What is God’s will for living one day at a time?
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I can’t even begin to tell you about the many nights I’ve spent with eyes wide open, worrying about everything.
Rather than bore you with the details, I hope to bless you a truth I wish I’d not only learned but that I’d applied years ago.
I was a chronic worrier which really isn’t surprising. Worry is the natural byproduct of fear and I’ve been pretty honest about my struggle with fear. So yes, I worried.
I worried about…
Our Children
Rev
Illness/Injury
Death
Rejection
Life
I worried about the things that happened yesterday … things that might happen tomorrow and everything in between. I worried about things I couldn’t change or control. Seriously, what’s the point of worrying if you can do something?
I was a worry addict and like many addicts, I had to hit bottom before I could accept that worried living—ain’t no way to live!
The Apostle Paul gave us great advice about worry – well, not about worrying but about not worrying.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Philippians 4:6
It sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Don’t worry … go to God, thank Him, and…
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. Philippians 4:7
But I spent hours praying when I was worried and I still kept worrying.
Paul said, “Then you will experience God’s peace.” Why didn’t I experience God’s peace when I prayed?
Because my prayers were short on faith.
Even though I prayed,”Father, please help me.” I continued to worry because deep down, I believed lies like…
My problem is too trivial for God to get involved.
My fear is too real, my “what ifs” too great to let go of them.
If my worry happened to someone else, it can certainly happen to me.
What if God chooses to allow this in my life as a lesson or discipline.
I can’t go on if __________.
And then…
Some of the things I’d worried about most often … happened.
All my worrying had not prevented my worries from becoming my reality.
I had to answer a very important question…
Was I going to trust God completely, not just with my eternal future but with my today and with every other day going forward?
I cried, “Lord, I believe. Help me overcome my unbelief,” and I went searching for promises to hold.
Two of my favorites were verses from Isaiah…
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. Isaiah 40:28
The depths of His understanding.
The New Century version says – No one can understand how great His wisdom is.
The Message says – He knows everything, inside and out.
The New Life Version says – His understanding is too great for us to begin to know.
He created us. He knows us inside and out. He understands us. He cares about even the tiniest details of our lives. Nothing is too trivial for Him to care and nothing is too big for Him to handle.
The enemy loves to tell us lies. But they are LIES!
The truth is … God loves you. He cares. And if He allows something; well, He has a promise for that, too.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
He will never leave us alone and He will strengthen us.
I was living through something I had worried about for a long time. Something I truly believed would break me forever … it didn’t. I was devastated. Yes, even broken at first, but God was with me. I felt His love and care as I began to feel His strength and help.
Why You Need to Seek God’s Help When You Worry
I’ve learned two important truths about seeking God’s help when I’m tempted to worry.
1. I can and should take any worry to God immediately.
As soon as I start to worry, I go to God. When “what ifs” start spinning around in my head I remember all God has helped me through in the past.
The enemy loves it when you and I worry because when we’re worried we’re not focused on God and all that He is able to do in our lives.
He loves to murmur, “God can’t. God won’t. God’s holding out on you. You’re on your own.”
It’s the spiritual battle we’re in and it’s real but you and I don’t have to fight it alone … ever!
The Holy Spirit is with us and within us willing and able to provide us with all we need to fight and win every spiritual battle, even our battle with worry.
The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 1 John 4:4
God is greater. He has won the ultimate victory and will equip us to fight every battle.
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
We can resist the devil. We don’t have to listen to his murmuring.
I’m trying to get better at that. Better at using the Sword of the Spirit/God’s Word to defeat the enemy’s lies and make him flee.
Which means I need to…
2. Keep growing closer to God through His Word.
Peter wrote:
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2
And Paul wrote:
Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him.Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6–7
I need to be in the Word every day. It’s where my roots grow. It’s where lies are replaced with truth and it’s where I get what I need to resist the devil when he tempts us to worry.
I’ve also learned I can’t just not worry. I have to replace not worrying with something else.
What is that something else?
Hope!
Hope in Jesus!
Through Jesus, God met our greatest need. He conquered sin, death, and the power of the devil.
Sin can no longer defeat us. Death is not the end. And by His grace, the devil has no power over us.
We have Jesus and God’s promise…
So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6:18–19
Read that again … slowly!
God has given us His promise. His oath. When we run to Him for refuge He will shelter us. Our hope is secure because God is trustworthy and true and He will give us the everything we need to get through today … we have nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing!
I’m guessing if you’re still reading this … you worry too!
I would love to tell you it’s like flipping a switch … one holy moment where I learned the truth and never worried again.
I can’t.
Please be patient with yourself. It takes time to break free of habitual worry.
But — imagine your life without worry. Imagine doing what you can and trusting God to help you with the rest.
Imagine running to God in prayer, holding onto His promises, trusting His love, and knowing without a doubt that God is always at work in your life for your good and for His glory.
You can do this.
Believe me, if God can deliver this worrier He can deliver you!
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Yes, I’m talking to you! You’ve poured yourself into your family and friends. You’ve worked your tail off and you’ve got nothin’ left.
You are poured out! Exhausted by life!
If you’re like me … you feel guilty, too.
Because you love your people!
And even though you’re running on fumes … there’s no quitting, no giving up. You will keep doing what you need to do no matter how hard it is.
So, I’m sharing the best advice I’ve been given over the years … the things that helped me most. Well, they helped when I remembered to do them.
3 Helpful Tips for the One Who’s Exhausted by Life
When You’re Exhausted by Life
1. Fill Your Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Tank
Spend time alone with God
It’s easy for me to set my quiet time aside when life gets crazy . . . but that’s when I need it most. When I’m exhausted by life, I need time alone with God most.
I love both the BibleGateway and YouVersion Apps. They are full of reading plans and devotions that will fit any season of the year or of your life.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Eat a healthy diet.
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ~Jim Rohn
When I’m exhausted I crave sugar and junk food. Gotta love that sugar rush. Right?! But I’ve learned I have more energy and feel better when I stick to a natural diet plan full of fruits, vegetables, and protein.
Take time to rest.
It’s better to cross a few activities off your list than to regularly deny yourself the sleep you need. And if you have little ones that get up during the night … do your best to nap when they do or go to bed a little earlier. I was always tempted to try to get something done when they were sleeping but the truth is most things can wait … get some sleep!
“Sleep deprivation is an illegal torture method outlawed by the Geneva Convention and international courts, but most of us do it to ourselves.” ~Ryan Hurd
Set aside time for fun with family and friends.
There is something about laughter that energizes me like nothing else. It’s a wonderful way to put stress aside and forget what’s troubling me . . . even if it’s just for a little while.
“How would your life be different if… you decided to give freely, love fully, and play feverously? Let today be the day you free yourself from the conditioned rules that limit your happiness and dilute the beautiful life experience. Have fun. Give – Love – Play!” ~Steve Maraboli
Simplify where possible.
Rev and I simplified and organized before, during, and after our move last year. We love it! Keeping our surroundings simplified gives us less to take care of and worry about. We used the Kon-Mari method and asked one simple question of every item in our home … Does it bring me joy?
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” ~Hans Hofmann
Fill your day with worship
Praise God for who He is and for all He does. Turn on your favorite worship tunes and sing with your heart and mind focused on just how very much your Father loves you. A simple act of praise and worship can fill your spirit with joy, energy, and God’s all-sufficient grace to do what you need to do.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness.Come before Him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:1–3
Know God’s yeses and nos. Know what He approves and what He doesn’t. Ask Him to make His will evident in your life and then follow where He leads you.
“My dreams had to be His dreams, the ones He placed in my heart. They couldn’t be the ones I thought I should have, or needed for the purpose of making other people like me.”~Stormie Omartian
Know and live your priorities.
You can’t be and do everything for everyone. Write a mission statement and live by it. Plan. Set goals. Know your best “yes” so you can say no when necessary.
“You have a purpose in life. You know in your heart what’s most important to you. In fact, your mission and values are expressed every day, by how you live–you just may not realize it.”~Stephen Covey
Be willing to say “no.”
Saying “no” is hard for me. I don’t like disappointing anyone. But living out too many yeses stresses me out and makes me cranky and miserable. Most people would rather hear my “no” now, than deal with my crankiness later.
“I know saying ‘no’ is hard now but you’ll only have to feel bad for a little while. If you say ‘yes’ you’ll worry and feel bad until the event, through it, and probably long after. I think I’d rather shorten the misery.” ~A Very Wise Friend
Guard your heart and mind.
Limit your time on social media and the news, and avoid gossip altogether … both personal and celebrity. Choose your entertainment carefully. Consider the possibility that what you are putting into your mind may be a huge source of your stress and anxiety.
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.Philippians 4:8
Set happiness boundaries.
Simply put … you are not responsible for someone else’s happiness and they are not responsible for yours.
Trying to please everyone is a recipe for stress and frustration. You can’t control other people’s happiness. Live for God’s glory and let the rest play out as it will. ~ Me
When You’re Exhausted by Life
3. Live for God’s Glory
Live for an audience of One.
Living for God’s glory has as much or more to do with my attitude than it does my actions. I want my attitude to come from a heart’s desire to glorify God in everything and then follow through with actions that follow His will. It’s a huge goal. One I am only able to even begin to do…
When I keep my eyes on Jesus and make obedience my heart’s desire … I can do all things through Christ because He gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (NCV)
With Jesus’ help, I can do what I need to do and say no to all the things I don’t! And with His help, I can know which is which!
“I don’t believe there is one great thing I was made to do in this world. I believe there is one great God I was made to glorify. And there will be many ways, even a million little ways, I will declare His glory with my life.”~Emily P. Freeman
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name goes all the glory for Your unfailing love and faithfulness.
Psalm 115:1
So, if you’re someone who read the title of this post and said, “Yes, I’m exhausted by life!”
Don’t give up!
It takes determined and intentional effort which I know is hard when you’re tapped out … but you can do it and oh, it is so worth it!
Write the 3 tips on a note card and use them as a bookmark in your Bible…
I will make choices to fill my spiritual, physical and emotional tank.
I will set clear and specific boundaries for myself.
I will live each day for the glory of God.
With God’s help and by His grace you and I can have the wisdom and strength we need to live today for His glory!
“We do not segment our lives, giving some time to God, some to our business or schooling, while keeping parts to ourselves. The idea is to live all of our lives in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and for the honor and glory of God. That is what the Christian life is all about.” ~ R. C. Sproul
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I walk outside in the morning and lift my eyes. Trees blow in the breeze as clouds drift across the sky. Birds sing as squirrels and chipmunks scurry and I stop for just a moment to watch my little world and worship the Creator.
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