"Praise the Lord, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples! For His lovingkindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord!"
James 5:13b states, "Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises." Do we really? Or are we so caught up with our lives and wants that we do not even stop and think what great things our Father in Heaven has done for us? This month the youth group and myself have begun our journey to grow in our spiritual worship through praise.
I enjoy driving and being able to see the beauty of God's handiwork around me. To me the most beautiful work is the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and the horizon around Denver when you exit the airport. I get chills just looking at such beauty. I then will offer of a prayer of thanksgiving to God for allowing me to see His handiwork. The important question is, what do you do when you see the creation of God?
Here is the challenge. Whatever you do before the day ends make sure you include taking time for God by going outside and looking at the beauty around you and give God the praise for what you see. Meditate on Psalm 150:1-2 - "Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise him according to His excellent greatness." Let these words sink in deeply and allow them to transform you into the man or woman He has called you to be. God bless you as you gather together with your church family and let the anthems raise!!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Spiritual Discipline -- Prayer
When I think of a Spiritual Discipline I do not know if prayer is one of those that comes to my mind at first. But, if you really give it more thought it is something that requires discipline to maintain in our Christian walk. What is prayer? Some may look at it as something we do when we are in a difficult spot in life. Others may think it is something we do before eating. And others will say it is important to do before travelling. While these particular answers are right but there is more to it when it comes prayer.
Prayer is a two way fellowship and communication with our Father in heaven. God desires to be in a loving relationship with His children and prayer is one the ways to maintain this relationship. Throughout the Bible there are examples of prayers, commands to pray, and encouragement to pray is used. Doing a word search for "pray" online I found 367 verses listed in the Old and New Testament of where the word or the form of "pray" was used. This shows me that prayer is an important topic to God or otherwise He would not have mentioned it as often as He did.
Look at the following lists of some of the examples of Scripture on prayer:
Commanded: Encouraged: Postures for:
Isaiah 55:5 Job 33:6 Numbers 16:22
Matthew 7:7; 26:41 Psalm 6:9; 32:6; 66:19 Joshua 5:14
Luke 18:1; 21:36 Zechariah 13:9 I Kings 8:22
Ephesians 6:18 Luke 11:9 II Chronicles 6:13
I Thessalonians 5:17, 25 Romans 10:13 Matthew 26:39
Prayer is something we should be doing all the time. Many times we do not because we get so caught up with our earthly lives we fail to think abut it. We are often talking to our friends on the phone or in person because that relationship is important to us to maintain. What if we never talk to either our friends or family? How long would that relationship last? If our earthly friends and family are important enough to constantly talk with, wouldn't be just as or even more so to talk with our Heavenly Father as often? Make prayer a Spiritual Discipline in your Christian walk. Keep a journal of your conversations with God and go back and look at the prayers He has answered in your life. You will be blessed!!
Prayer is a two way fellowship and communication with our Father in heaven. God desires to be in a loving relationship with His children and prayer is one the ways to maintain this relationship. Throughout the Bible there are examples of prayers, commands to pray, and encouragement to pray is used. Doing a word search for "pray" online I found 367 verses listed in the Old and New Testament of where the word or the form of "pray" was used. This shows me that prayer is an important topic to God or otherwise He would not have mentioned it as often as He did.
Look at the following lists of some of the examples of Scripture on prayer:
Commanded: Encouraged: Postures for:
Isaiah 55:5 Job 33:6 Numbers 16:22
Matthew 7:7; 26:41 Psalm 6:9; 32:6; 66:19 Joshua 5:14
Luke 18:1; 21:36 Zechariah 13:9 I Kings 8:22
Ephesians 6:18 Luke 11:9 II Chronicles 6:13
I Thessalonians 5:17, 25 Romans 10:13 Matthew 26:39
Prayer is something we should be doing all the time. Many times we do not because we get so caught up with our earthly lives we fail to think abut it. We are often talking to our friends on the phone or in person because that relationship is important to us to maintain. What if we never talk to either our friends or family? How long would that relationship last? If our earthly friends and family are important enough to constantly talk with, wouldn't be just as or even more so to talk with our Heavenly Father as often? Make prayer a Spiritual Discipline in your Christian walk. Keep a journal of your conversations with God and go back and look at the prayers He has answered in your life. You will be blessed!!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Spiritual Discipline
Hello Everyone,
When I hear the word "discipline" the first thing that comes to my mind is OUCH!! I can remember growing up and getting disciplined a lot. I mean I had to go pick the switch my mom would use on me from the weeping willow tree that was across the street from where we lived. I had to go to that tree so often that by the time I graduated high school it was nothing but a stump. As I look back in my life I can see that the disciplining I received help to be the man I am today. Hebrews 12:7-11 talks of God's discipline for His children because He loves us as His own sons and daughters. Yes, discipline when it happens is never fun but it is good for us because of how it helps us by developing within us the characteristics God desires. Discipline is needed so that we can have the proper relationship with our heavenly Father. There are twelve spiritual disciplines I would like to focus on for the next few weeks. They are prayer, meditation, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. The first four are considered inward disciplines, the middle four are considered outward disciplines, and the last four are considered corporate disciplines. I look forward to sharing these thoughts with you. Stay tuned!!
When I hear the word "discipline" the first thing that comes to my mind is OUCH!! I can remember growing up and getting disciplined a lot. I mean I had to go pick the switch my mom would use on me from the weeping willow tree that was across the street from where we lived. I had to go to that tree so often that by the time I graduated high school it was nothing but a stump. As I look back in my life I can see that the disciplining I received help to be the man I am today. Hebrews 12:7-11 talks of God's discipline for His children because He loves us as His own sons and daughters. Yes, discipline when it happens is never fun but it is good for us because of how it helps us by developing within us the characteristics God desires. Discipline is needed so that we can have the proper relationship with our heavenly Father. There are twelve spiritual disciplines I would like to focus on for the next few weeks. They are prayer, meditation, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. The first four are considered inward disciplines, the middle four are considered outward disciplines, and the last four are considered corporate disciplines. I look forward to sharing these thoughts with you. Stay tuned!!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Work Ethic
When someone says, "you have a great work ethic", what do they mean? Most likely, they are recognizing the desire, diligence, and determination to see a project or activity completed with success. A great work ethic is noticed because of the attitude that is portrayed. The attitude is displayed by your actions and your words. Your attitude is the drive you have to arrive early, persevere when faced with obstacle, be the cheerleader for others when they seem to be in a rut or when their motivation is low. But, is this great work ethic seen in everything you do or just what is most enjoyable to you?
A great work is not chosen to be seen when it is most convenient. A great work ethic should be who we are on the inside. I say this because a lot of times our work ethic is evident in worldly activities but very rarely seen in our daily walk with Christ.
God wants a great work ethic when it comes to building our relationship with Him. Luke 9:23-26 sets the standard for us in establishing and maintaining a great work ethic. This is a process for us. John Maxwell says, "spiritual leadership happens daily, not in a day." Read II Peter 1:5-11, there are eight character qualities we must develop and when we do we are promised of effectiveness and fruitfulness. When these qualities are developed and growing within us then our work ethic will be worth talking about.
A great work is not chosen to be seen when it is most convenient. A great work ethic should be who we are on the inside. I say this because a lot of times our work ethic is evident in worldly activities but very rarely seen in our daily walk with Christ.
God wants a great work ethic when it comes to building our relationship with Him. Luke 9:23-26 sets the standard for us in establishing and maintaining a great work ethic. This is a process for us. John Maxwell says, "spiritual leadership happens daily, not in a day." Read II Peter 1:5-11, there are eight character qualities we must develop and when we do we are promised of effectiveness and fruitfulness. When these qualities are developed and growing within us then our work ethic will be worth talking about.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Where do we go from here?
It is amazing to me the amount of time we spend in doing things, some that are good, some that are not, and some that are questionable. It just seems to me that we live in world that is so focused on we want and we somehow forget that it is about the person other than ourselves. I love the fact that we as humans take this time of year to help the those who are less fortunate, but I would really love if we did this everyday of the year. If Christ were to come back today, would He find us doing the things that bring Him honor and glory? Stay strong and stay true.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)