IN THE DARK?

By Shirley Wiggins

“I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, …"           Isaiah 45:3a

What can you see in the dark?

It has been said that the choicest pieces of lace were spun in the famous lace shops of Brussels in weaving rooms lit only by the light falling through one very small window:    … “Lace is always more delicately and beautifully woven when the worker himself is in the dark and only his pattern is in the light.”¹

Compelled to write --- So often I write “in the dark.”  I think I am chronicling one story and when it is finished, I realize all those fragments of thoughts drawn from various Scripture verses that stood out to me actually tied together in a cohesive reasonable line of thought --- a “train of thought” which seemed to me to be going nowhere in particular.

I have often felt like one who works in the dark, “waking” to see the picture that was put together like a puzzle and it actually fit in place and was “complete” – even though I couldn’t see how it would!

“Sometimes it is very dark.  We cannot understand what we are doing.  We do not see the web we are weaving.  We are not able to discover any beauty, any possible good in our experience.  Yet if we are faithful and fail not and faint not, we shall someday know that the most exquisite work of all our life was done in those days when it was so dark.

If you are in the shadows because of some strange mysterious providence, do not be afraid.  Simply go on in faith and love, never doubting.  God is watching, and He will bring good and beauty out of all your pain and tears.” ---J.R. Miller¹

“The shuttles of His purpose move

To carry out His own design;

Seek not too soon to disapprove

His work, nor yet assign

Dark motives, when, with silent tread,

You view some somber fold;

For lo, within each darker thread

There twines a thread of gold.

Spin cheerfully,

Not tearfully,

He knows the way you plod;

Spin carefully,

Spin prayerfully,

But leave the thread with God.”

--------Canadian Home Journal.¹

“Leave the thread with God.”

But, which God?

Though there is really and truly only One God the world says there are either none – no God at all – or, there are many and each one of us may design our own god.  See Isaiah 44:1-21, 22-45:25, and Isaiah 46:1-13.

You must know the true God!  You absolutely must,  your soul’s destiny depends on it!!  Life is not over at physical death – the grave is only a temporary tomb.  Life is forever – a gift from the Eternal God – see Isaiah 46:3-13.

God carries His people – from before their birth, carrying them from the womb even to old age and gray hair.  He made and He will bear and carry and save His people. 

People who choose to design their own god, or worship the figment of someone else’s imagination, must “carry” the wooden, ceramic, or stone god of their own making which has absolutely no life in it, but it robs them of their own life!  See Isaiah 45:20-22, 23-25.

Look to Him and be saved – and secure:  “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!  For I am God, and there is no other.”  Isaiah 45:22 (ESV).

There is no other way:  “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6 (ESV).

Darkness and Light…     When the first lie slithered into the life of the first man and the first woman, the darkness of sin entered the world.  See Genesis 3.

“…Light in the spiritual sense represents the truth, clarity, spiritual understanding, and discernment we receive from God’s Word.”  --- Anne Graham Lotz.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. … The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through  Him, yet the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.  But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:1-5, 9-14 (ESV).²

Have you received the Light of the Lord into your life?  Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.

 

¹Streams in the Desert  Compiled by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman,  Copyright 1965 Cowman Publications, Inc.; pages 356-357.

² To be a child of God, the Bible teaches that you must first have a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

John 3:16-18 (ESV):    “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

SNOW

by Hallie Gipson

Has it ever happened while you are reading a passage from God’s word that it suddenly takes on a meaning or connection to another passage(s) that you haven’t seen or thought of before? That very thing occurred to me this morning as I watched the snow fall, covering everything in sight in a beautiful blanket of white.

As I began to think about the snow and God’s creation of it, I thought of the verses in the Bible that speak about the snow and realized I could not easily recall them to mind . . . and so the search began.

Psalm 147:16

“He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. He casts forth His ice as fragments; who can stand before His cold?”

Matthew Henry’s commentary on this particular verse begins by saying:  “In general, whatever alterations there are in this lower world (and it is that world that is subject to continual changes) they are produced by the will, and power, and providence of God.” And he continues – “snow . . . is compared to wool for its whiteness, and its softness; it falls silently, and makes no more noise than the fall of a lock of wool; it covers the earth and keeps it warm like a fleece of wool, and so promotes its fruitfulness.”

What a beautiful reminder that God’s providence is in all things – even the snowfall! And in the continuing cycle of God’s purpose, the end result is the earth’s fruitfulness.

A portion of 2 Samuel 23 is devoted to “the names of the mighty men whom David had” (vs. 8).  We are told in verse 20 that “Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.”

Snow was certainly not a deterrent or inconvenience for one of King David’s mighty men! As I apply that to myself, some honest soul-searching is required. Do I allow small inconveniences to keep me from a task God might have for me, or at the least, to dampen my resolve to finish well?

As I continued my search through Scripture for references to snow, I discovered Job 37:6, Job 38:22, and Proverbs 26:1.

But when I found the reference to snow in Isaiah 55:10-11, the larger picture of God’s plan of redemption began to jump from the verses right into my heart! The threads of the Old Testament are like gold in a tapestry that is woven right into the New Testament in a seamless design.

Isaiah 55:10-11

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in that thing for which I sent it.”

Fast-forward to the New Testament:

John 1:1, 4, 10

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . In Him was life . . . He was in the world . . .”  (Isaiah 55:11 – “so shall My word be”)

John 6:33, 35

“For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life’. (Isaiah 55:10 – “bread to the eater”)

John 3:24

“For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God . . .” (Isaiah 55:11 – “so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth . . .”)

John 4:24

“Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.’  (Isaiah 55:11 – “it shall not return to Me empty, but shall accomplish that which I purpose . . .”)

And finally:

Hebrews 1:1-4

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”  (Isaiah 55:11 – “and shall succeed in that thing for which I sent it.”)

Thank you, Father, for Your Word, the insight given by the Holy Spirit that enables understanding, and for Jesus Christ! Without His finished work on the cross, our sins could never be “as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). 

DO WE WEARY THE FATHER?

by Hallie Gipson and Shirley Wiggins

 

“Hear now what the Lord is saying . . .” …   “My people, what have I done to you, And how have I wearied you?  Answer Me.”

 “Indeed, I brought you up . . . and ransomed you . . .”   “Remember . . . so that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.”  Micah 6:1, 3, 4, 5 (NASB)

 What a question, Father God!! I (Hallie) act as if You somehow have wearied me, when I can be sure I have wearied You with my continual inconsistencies. I know who You are – You have truly brought me up from a land of slavery to sin and into Your marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).  I realize, too, the audacity of sinful humanity – how we mistakenly view Your gracious longsuffering toward us with anything but praise and thanksgiving!

I know “the righteous acts of the Lord” (Micah 6:5) – As the Psalmist says, “He brought me out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.” (Psalm 40:2) Only a God rich in mercy and grace could love me enough to send His only Son to bear the full weight of my sin on the cross.

 This knowledge sends me to my knees daily, in humility, that You would stoop to save a wretch like me! 

 “Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being, and teach me wisdom in the secret heart.” Psalm 51:6 (NASB).  It is the presence of the Holy Spirit that guides me to the truth of Your word. (John 16:13)

 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age . . .”  Titus 2:11-12 (NIV)

It is through the Word of God that we get our instructions for living lives that are pleasing to Him. God does not leave us to flounder in an un-Godly world without the necessary tools to survive. 1 Peter 1:3 tell us “. . . that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence.” (emphasis mine)

 Thank You, Precious Father, for Your redemption and for the provision of Your Word to guide us!

His Word is so rich and so deep that it makes us want to explore it in depth! 

I (Shirley) want to record what I learn and to share what I see in His word.  I want wanderers (saved souls following afar off) to become desperately hungry and thirsty for God in Jesus.  I want lost souls to do the same.

God’s grace is so overwhelming! It suffers long with mankind as He seeks to rescue and save, and humanity rejects and resists as if either His word is not truth, or as if none of us here need any rescuing, thank You very much!!

How greatly God has endured with the likes of humans!  He is indeed The Disrespected Father.  That humans would act as though His loving plan is a wearisome burden to us is the thing that is unimaginable! 

His love opens the door for His mercy and grace to pour out salvation for the souls of lost men and women, boys and girls – those who are wandering in the depths of a fallen world with no help or hope until God the Father set out His plan to redeem mankind.

Salvation is a free gift and God has gone to great lengths and depths to offer it to all who would recognize their need and receive His help according to His planned way.

He has made every effort to convince men and women of the consequences of the sin which has fallen upon every human being, while at the same time revealing His solution for the sin of the world.

 

His solution was to come to earth and personally deliver the details of His plan in the likeness of man, and in the purity of His own deity.  There is only One righteous and Holy – Himself in the person of His Son Jesus Christ.¹

This plan is not easily understood nor explained.  It remains a mystery to this day.  However, the fact that it cannot be fully explained doesn’t make it elusive.

It is so vitally important that the people of planet earth open up our ears to hear what it is the Lord is still saying to the world. How can we deny what God’s word says in warning? “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.”  2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NASB)

 It is to our benefit to search out His Scriptures that we might discover the truths that He has embedded in His written Word revealed to us so that we and our children might know the truths that lead to our soul’s salvation.  (Deuteronomy 29:29)

 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age . . .”  Titus 2:11-1 (NIV)

Yes, this grace has appeared.  And it is our duty and responsibility to respond to this truth in a meaningful way.  If we were in a burning house of roaring, destructive flames, we would surely heed the fireman’s instructions for escaping with our lives.

The same thing applies to our response to God’s invitation of salvation.  If we do not accept the salvation God so freely offers through His Son Jesus Christ, we are lost and destined for those roaring flames!  (2 Peter 3:9-15a.)  We must not, we dare not, ignore the only way of salvation and deliverance from the consequences of our own sin. (Romans 6:23.)

 We are all sinners and have fallen short of the grace of God. (Romans 3:23)  But He has determined to lead us out of this hopeless and humanly helpless catastrophe.

 There is truly only One Way out:  by the way of the cross of Jesus Christ, His one and only perfectly sinless Son! (John 14:6)

 Remember . . . so that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

How can we remember what we have not heard?  And, how can we hear except someone be sent to tell us?  (See Romans 10:8-15.)

God has sent many into the world to tell the truth – He sent Moses and the prophets; and lastly, in the fullness of time, He sent His beloved Son, Jesus Himself.  (Hebrews 1:1-3.)

 Jesus Christ has come because He was sent with the divine message of reconciliation to the world:  Be reconciled to God and escape the coming torments of the trial that is coming upon the whole earth.

God promises that those who accept His way of salvation by believing in the atoning work of Jesus Christ, to each one He will give the right to become His own children, and He will ensure their protection from the trial that is coming to all those who refuse to receive  Him.     (John 1:12; Revelation 3:10.)

 

 

¹ John 3:16-18 (ESV):    “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

 

THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

By Shirley Wiggins

The day dawns clear, crisp and cold.

Trains of thought come into my mind this morning like engines rolling around the hills and valleys on tracks that will take each one to its appointed destination. 

Casual observers who watch trains go by have no idea where any of them may be going, but the engineers and the conductors onboard know perfectly well where their train will come to a stop at its pre-determined destination.

I am tempted to jump on board one of my thought-trains this morning  and see where it will take me.  But, I don’t.  I wait.  I feel tired and melancholy today, with an overall sense of time passing in a rush, and I want to hold on to my minutes.  I’m not ready to move on, yet, not with this strong sense of something left incomplete.

So I wait, and let the thoughts come and go.  And, I contemplate and meditate as I read my two favorite devotionals¹ for my early morning quiet time. 

Christmas went by much too quickly for me again this year.  There was so much I wanted to do and share and savor and have time to enjoy, but the calendar and the clock both said, “No, you must hurry.”

And so, I fear I left many important things undone.  I love Christmas and each year I want to fully enjoy the season,  most of all, I want to savor the most important aspect of Christmas:  the reason  for Christmas.

Every year I experience this vague sense of disappointment – this sense that something was missing for me.  Maybe it is just the fact that I love to linger long with those things that bring me pleasure and with those people who are dearest to me.

But, there never seems to be quite enough time.

I think I will take this time now and just enjoy this second cup of coffee, and let my fingers run across this computer keyboard and see where my mind takes me.

But not with my idle mind in the engineer’s seat.   I want the God of all creation to guide my thoughts by His Holy Spirit who knows the mind of the Christ of Christmas.  And, it is to Him that I direct my prayer, asking Him to guard my heart and guide my mind as He directs my thinking. 

I don’t have any more time to waste, and this isn’t a waste of time.  This is my life.  My life will not end when I breathe my last breath of God-given air on this earth. 

My life will extend forever, and so will yours, time without end, for all eternity stretches before each human who has ever breathed in the breath of life.   Time will change but it will never extinguish the God-given life.

So, I have the time.  I have time to explore the words of God with the Word of God.

Another train of thought has returned, and it is one I’ve thought on a lot since I first heard about a large sign that was made and paid for and placed  high above the ground  in a city just in time for Christmas this year.

I don’t remember the specific wording of the sign’s printed question, but I surely remember the answer someone assigned to the question.

The question basically asked who needs Christ at Christmas, and someone decided the answer was, “Nobody.”

When I heard that, for a moment I was left astounded and speechless as hundreds of my own questions came pouring into my head.

Like, has this person (or these people) given serious consideration to the Christ of Christmas, and if they have, how could they have reached such an arrogantly erroneous answer?!  What on earth are they basing their conclusion on?! 

I considered that staggering arrogance that someone concluded that their answer applies to every human being!  No one needs to think for themselves, as this person (or group) has determined for all of us that not one of us “needs” Christ.

I am disappointed and dismayed every time I see or hear of another instance of disrespect paid to the God of Creation,  whose love is so high, and deep, and wide, and complete, that, without His help, none of us can comprehend His majestic greatness.

I recognize my own puny efforts at sharing what He means to me as a mere drop in an ocean; yet, He has so impacted my life that I cannot keep silent.  I absolutely must add my small voice to the testimonials of His goodness, His grace, and His loving kindnesses  and forgiveness, and the multitudes of His great and good gifts that He continues to pour out upon His world and its inhabitants.

God is so great that I cannot find words to adequately express what it is that my heart loves most about Him.

Love.  He is Love.  We don’t even know what love is apart from Him.  We ‘swim’ in this vast ocean of His love and fail to recognize Him and His kindness to us.  We can’t even fully appreciate His loving kindness and His great faithfulness to pour out grace upon grace to people who can never be worthy of His holiness.

And yet, He chooses to lovingly teach us again and again about Himself!  He goes to great lengths to reveal Himself to people – many of whom cannot yet see their great need of this One Great God.²

He patiently teaches about His love, His power, His sovereignty, His supreme rule and authority – all the while continuing to give people the right to choose whether they will believe Him or call Him a liar and/or profess not to even believe that He exists.  Amazing!  Astounding!

The Holy Bible.  His Holy Word.  The Christ of Christmas:  Jesus Christ,

Immanuel =  God with us!

God is with us!  Embrace Him by embracing His Word, Jesus Christ Who became flesh and came to earth to dwell for a time; and His written Word, the Holy Bible.

If you do not have a Bible, find one:   get your hands on a Bible and read it for all it is worth!  Find a church where Jesus Christ is exalted, and worship Him for all He is worth, and enroll in a Bible study class and study His Word for all you are worth!

Life will not end permanently with our death, and we will all live forever  somewhere.  Make sure your somewhere is in the holy presence of God, our Savior who came to earth one day – the original  Christmas Day – on a search and rescue mission:                                  Jesus Christ, …“the Son of Man, has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Luke 19:10.

Don’t let anyone else determine for you whether or not you need the Christ of Christmas --- you seek His face for yourself and you decide based on the Truth of His Word.  You will live with your choice for eternity – time without end.

 

¹Streams in the Desert  compiled by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman; and Daily Light  for Every Day with Anne Graham Lotz.

² To be a child of God, you must first have a relationship with Christ. 

John 3:16-18 (ESV):    “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
If you have never acknowledged your sin and confessed it by agreeing with God about it, and received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord of your life, you are encouraged to listen for His still small voice to invite you to pray the prayer of repentance sincerely confessing your sin and asking Jesus to cleanse you of that sin.   If you repent and turn from your sin, to Christ, and “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead; you will be saved," according to God's Word, the Holy Bible, in Romans 10:9.

If you have just prayed to receive Christ, tell someone.  Then become a participant in a church where God is exalted, and His Word, The Holy Bible, is taught as the standard of life.

Reflections

by Hallie Gipson

December – the last month of the year – 25 days before this year becomes history! The end of the year is always a cause for reflection and evaluation. It’s a time to look back and ask myself those deep questions that probe the very depths of my purpose and existence. Being a bit ‘performance-driven’, I might even be OK (on what I think is a good day) with a yearly score card – you know, something tangible that tells me whether or not I’m living up to my God-given potential. My reflections of year 2013 drew me into conversation with my sweet Savior:

“If you were evaluating my year, Lord, what kind of grade would I get – would it be a pass or fail? Have I lived up to all You wanted of me? Of course, the answer is “no”, because I am aware of the darkness I yet carry in my heart, the times I have disobeyed,  my rebellion, my ugly attitudes, all those times I chose other things over You . . . the list of my faults is endless. But praise God that You do not hold those faults and sins against me! Each one that has been carried to You for forgiveness, it has been granted and my sin is cast “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.” (Psalm 103:12-13 NASB).

What a comfort and encouragement to know that You are a compassionate and loving God and that Your love for me is never dependent on me. You are love! Your precious Word tells us “God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16)  It is who You are – Your character. And even though I may change with the passing of time, You do not.”

Hebrews 13:8 assures us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Thank you, Father, that Your love for me never changes and that when You look at me, it is through the blood of Jesus. Nothing I will ever do can earn the love, grace, and mercy that were purchased for me by Your Son. You are Holy and perfect and magnificent in all Your glory! I love You, Lord!!

 DESPONDENCY

by Hallie Gipson

“Despondency” – not a title I’m sure many of you expected to see the day before Thanksgiving! After all, doesn't Thanksgiving usher in what we refer to as ‘the holiday season’? And aren't we happy and excited about the upcoming festivities shared with family and friends? For many of you, the answer to that would be a resounding, “Yes”! But for others, the holidays prove to be distressing or depressing, and a time when it’s easy to lapse into despondency because of grief, unmet expectations, loneliness, or broken relationships.

If we have feelings of despondency and depression, what are we as Christians to do with those feelings? We can’t deny their existence, for to do so would deny that we are human, created by God to experience a wide range of feelings and emotions.

But God didn't create us with feelings and emotions and then leave us to muddle though on our own when life disappoints. He has given us His precious Word as soothing ointment to our wounded and scarred hearts!

Psalm 13:5-6

But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me.

So what does ‘despondent’ mean?

Despondent:

·        feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection or depression

·        the word implies a deep dejection arising from a conviction of the uselessness of further effort 

If I were despondent, I would believe it useless to keep seeking the Lord.

2 Corinthians 2:14

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

That scripture reminds me God’s provision is ‘triumph in Christ’ and it is my responsibility to receive it. Unless I take what God provides through His Son, I remain destitute.

Did you notice the word ‘always’ in the verse above?

Always:

•          every time
•          at all times
•          invariably
•          forever
•          perpetually (valid for all time; occurring continually)

At all times and for all time God is leading me in triumph in Christ! That being true, where do I get the power to live a triumphant life in Christ?

2 Cor. 4:7-10

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

Hebrews 12:1, 2, 3

“ . . . let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

vs. 3

“For consider Him who has endured such a hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

The knowledge of Him and abiding in Him are what God has given me in the fight against despondency, weariness, and depression.

2 Peter 1:3-4

“ . . . His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature . . . “

Father, if I did not know Your word I would be destitute of the knowledge of Him! Forgive me for having eyes fixed on self!!  I sing to You, Lord. You never fail to speak to me! 
I have Christ so therefore I am triumphant in every thing!

WORSHIP

by Hallie Gipson

Psalm 29:2 

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

Sometimes when we speak of worship, we tend to think of the corporate worship that we participate in during Sunday services. But as we reflect on what worship means to us in our personal relationship with the Lord, is it a part of our daily communication with God? And what exactly is worship?

Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words includes these phrases to define the word “worship”:

• To prostrate oneself in homage
• To put religion into practice
• To minister to God
• To revere or adore

What does worship look like for you? How do you let God know how much you adore Him? How inhibited are you in your worship?

The following Scriptures help us focus on several elements of worship –- our ‘posture’ (physical stance), how we worship, why we worship, and our attitude as we worship.

Ø      Psalm 95:6-7

          Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

          For He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

The posture/physical stance of the Psalmist is bowed down and kneeling. This also tells us why we are to worship God – He is our maker.

Ø      1 Chronicles 16:29

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.

Bring an offering and come before him;

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

This verse tells us how we worship – with an offering. It is an action we take because of our love for God. We are worshipping God for His attributes of glory and holiness.

Ø      2 Chronicles 29:30

. . . so they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshipped.

Although this is an example of corporate worship during King Hezekiah’s reign, it is a fitting example of bowing the head. How did they sing their worship? With gladness!! Our faces should not be downcast when we worship.

Ø      Psalm 100:1-2

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

The worship in this verse is with ‘gladness’ and the songs are ‘joyful’.

Ø      Matthew 2:11-12

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary,

and they bowed down and worshipped him.

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of

gold and of incense and of myrrh.

The Magi showed homage to the Christ child by bowing down, worshipping, and presenting him with gifts.

Ø      John 4:24

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

Ø      Matthew 28:9

Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings”, he said.

They (the disciples when they saw Jesus after His resurrection) came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him.

Our worship here on earth is also a rehearsal of things to come in heaven. And what a worship service that will be!! Revelation 5:-13 gives us a glimpse of that worship:

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of

myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

          “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive

power and riches and wisdom and might and

honor and glory and blessing.”

And every created thing which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth

and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

          “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing

          And honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

As you worship Him and meditate on all that He is, consider the attributes listed in the WORSHIP acrostic. God is truly the only One worthy of our worship!!

Worthy

Omnipotent

Righteous

Sovereign

Holy

Incomparable

Perfect