Tag: worship

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Praise God

Daily Reading

Psalm 146-150

Daily Thought

Twelve of the 13 lines of the final psalm begin with the word “praise.” The one that doesn’t ends with “praise the Lord,” and tells everything that has breath to do it. Jesus says even the rocks would cry out if the things that breathe did not (see Luke 19:40).

Look to the past, the stars, the sky, this vast universe, “He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names” (Psalm 147:4); “he commanded and they were created” (Psalm 148:5). Peer into the future, “The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations” (Psalm 146:10). And in between, break out the band; “Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!” (Psalm 150:3-5).

The Psalms, Israel’s songbook, close with five songs of praise. Only praise. These 150 psalms teach me to pray, to speak with God, to ask questions, to complain, to celebrate, to share my troubles and my victories, to open my heart, to seek help; but always and ultimately at the end, to stop everything else and praise the Lord. All things begin and end with God.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! ~Psalm 150:6

Daily Prayer

My Creator, my God, when I star-gaze, I look at Your handiwork. Amazed by the universe, I am awed by You. You explode the universe into existence by Your Word, by Your breath. All things were designed and created by You and for You. May all creation glorify its Creator.

I worship and praise You.

Amen

Daily Question

What is your favorite song of worship, and why?

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Sunday Church

Daily Reading

Psalm 120-132

Daily Thought

Fifteen psalms, Psalm 120-134, are each called a “Song of Ascents,” sung by the Hebrews as they pilgrimed uphill to Jerusalem three times a year for the great feasts, the gatherings of God’s people. These psalms are short, mostly cheerful, always hopeful—except the first, Psalm 120. It is short, but begins with distress, ends with war, and is filled with deceit. This low, all-too-real beginning, turns our eyes upward to seek salvation:

“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.” ~Psalm 121:1-2

Thus begins a steady climb upward: 

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy.” ~Psalm 126:1-2

As the Hebrew people ascended to Jerusalem to celebrate and worship God, so the Sunday gathering each week of God’s church is our high point–the city of God rising above the city of man. Jesus has an elevated vision of his church, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). Sunday church is a celebration of God’s salvation, not a “have to go,” but a “get to go,” the people of God going up and gathering in one place to worship the Lord, who made heaven and earth–and why would we not sing on the way there?

I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!” ~Psalm 122:1

Daily Prayer

To You, O God, I lift my heart in praise. Out of chaos, You created a life overflowing with peace and hope and love. You did it once in the beginning of the world, You did it again at the cross and the empty tomb. You give me life everlasting, an eternity which has already begun. I am a citizen of Your Kingdom today and forever. My heart is glad and I will sing Your praises so all may hear of so great a salvation.

May I never be shy about it!

Amen

Daily Question

Is the Sunday gathering of the church something you look forward to? Why or why not?

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Que Sara Sara

Daily Reading

Psalm 115-118

Daily Thought

Why, the psalmist wonders, would anyone put their trust in things that know nothing, with “mouths, but do not speak” and “eyes, but do not see” and “ears, but do not hear” and “noses, but do not smell” and “hands, but do not feel” and “feet, but do not walk” (Psalm 115:4-7). We worship idols of silver and gold and follow the stars or fate.

We trust our math, but math does not think. It’s mechanical: 2 plus 2 is always 4. Math leads a dull life. Que sera sera–what will be, will be. The same with science. We use science to do wonderful things, and we should, but science itself simply observes. Why would you trust it with your life? Science does not love you. It cares nothing for you at all.

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. ~Romans 1:22-23

Life is neither random nor wooden; it is personal. Science and math and fate and the stars do what they are told, but “our God does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). He made the stars in the heaven, and he made the butterfly flap. He made everything and knows every one, and he loves “you and your children! May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (Psalm 115:14-15).

Math and science explain a lot, but cannot explain love–but the apostle John can because he met Jesus: “We love because he first loved us” (1John 4:19). It’s personal and we follow God for his pleasure. And ours.

Daily Prayer

My God and Savior, You are good. Your Son even said, “No one is good, but God alone.” Certainly not me. Yet, you have given me righteousness. Not mine, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ. What a gift. Thank you God. Why in the world do You care about me? Because You do what You please and You chose to love me. I certainly didn’t do anything to deserve it. Thank You!!

May the Name of Jesus be praised, be honored, be worshiped. My God and Savior. May my life point to salvation through Your Son, the One who cares, who gave His all for me.

Amen

Daily Question

Why do you worship God?

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One and Only

Daily Reading

Psalm 90–95

Daily Thought

Life is competition. There is always something bigger, something better, someone smarter, someone stronger. We are in a constant quest for improvement and achievement and growth.

It is true in everything, except one thing, our God. There is no God bigger, no God better, no God smarter, no God stronger. No other God.

Good can become better, and better can become best. Even best can improve, achieve, grow. But it all comes to rest at Ultimate, the Most High, the One and Only. There is a place of rest, one place, and only one place, where we do not strive for more because we cannot strive for more. The Hebrews call this Shalom, a place of wholeness and holiness, of peace and rest, “my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (Psalm 91:2).

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. ~Psalm 91:1

Daily Prayer

Oh Lord our God, You are One, the One and Only God. You sent Your Son, Your One and Only Son, to seek and to save the lost. Me. All of us. Thank You for Your grace and love. Your love for sinners sets You apart from anything else. All love is measured by You, who, while we were still sinners, died on the cross for our salvation.

God, I pray that my love would grow to be as complete and sacrificial as Yours. May I love without strings. May I realize that I don’t need anything else because I can rest complete in You. Then my love will be pure, free of selfish motive.

Amen

Daily Question

The first of the Ten Commandments is “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2-3). Why did God put this first?

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All of Me

Daily Reading

Psalm 46-50

Daily Thought

In Psalm 50, God says he wants everything because he wants nothing. He wants your sacrifice because he doesn’t need your sacrifice. This makes no sense; or it makes all the sense in the world if you understand that religion and worship are not the same thing.

Israel is religious, yet God judges them, “Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me” (Psalm 50:8). Okay, you are religious, says God. Let’s examine your religion. Your religion is a formula: give God what he wants and he will give you what you want. You are using God to serve yourself. But, “every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills,” says God. “I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine” (Psalm 50:10-11). God doesn’t need anything. Your religious formula doesn’t work. Now what?

Now you can worship. You can give God everything because he needs nothing, and, therefore, you can trust him fully. What are you giving him that is not his already? Your gratitude. Your praise. Yourself, and that is worship.

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” ~Psalm 50:14-15

Daily Prayer

Father in Heaven, The world is Yours, and all that is in it. You are the source of every good and every blessing, and my greatest blessing is I am Your child. You have adopted me back into Your family by making me righteous again through the saving work of Your Son. You call it grace. I call it good news.

You have given me everything, God. I give it all back. It’s yours, all of me. Now tell me what to do!

Amen

Daily Question

How do you show God you are thankful for all he has done for you?

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Delight

Daily Reading

Psalm 36-39

Daily Thought

The serpent spoke to Eve, “Did God actually say…” (Genesis 3:1). That’s the voice of temptation and sin still talks to us, “transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart” (Psalm 36:1). We were made in God’s image, so we must be deceived to sin. “You will not surely die,” said the serpent. “You will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). The lie is not that we don’t know, but that God is somehow not the final word. Every sin is deception, “there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.” (Psalm 36:1-2). We deceive ourselves that no one is watching, or that what we do does not matter–“Why can’t I if it doesn’t hurt anyone?” 

It does, and always God first.

Our best defense against sin, therefore, is not willpower, but worship, finding our delight in God’s delight, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). The fruit of the tree was delight to Eve’s eyes, but a lesser delight. Rather she would delight herself “in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4), transforming our corrupted desires as we “drink from the river of your delights” (Psalm 36:8). Drink often and drink deep and temptation’s flavor turns sour.

Daily Prayer

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep. 

How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.

Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. ~Psalm 36:5-11

Amen

Daily Question

Can you sin without hurting anyone?

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God Is One

Daily Reading

Psalm 26-31

Daily Thought

Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one,” is called the Shema by the Jewish people. It is the centerpiece of Hebrew worship. The word Shema means “Hear,” the first word of the verse. A Hebrew will utter the Shema twice daily, their first words in the morning and final words before bed. A daily reminder that there is one, and only one, God, and he is our God and we are his people.

The message of the Shema undergirds all the Psalms: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; The Lord is the stronghold of my life” (Psalm 27:1). The Lord our God, the Lord is one. But more than the Lord one, he is number one. God is the preeminent of all of life. 

One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple. ~Psalm 27:4

How many walk into church as if God should be glad they are there? David, rather, sought God’s permission to enter! When the Shema becomes the center of life, our Sunday morning question changes from “Do we have to go to church today?” to “Do we get to go to church today?”

Our social apps invite us to post photos in the places we visit. One family took a selfie at church on a Sunday morning and commented, “God 1st.” Later that afternoon, the family took another, this time at Oracle Park, “Baseball 2nd ~ Go GIANTS!!!” 

They got it right. God is One. Everything else get in line.

Daily Prayer

God, my Savior, I offer myself, body, soul, and spirit, as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You. I love You, heart, soul, mind, and strength. Transform me, God, to reflect Your glory, to resemble Your Son.

You would rather I obey Your Word than play at religion. My obedience is not merely a demonstration of righteousness, but a display of love. I want to know Your Word, follow Your ways, and live in Your love. God, my strength comes from You; my life centers around You. Nothing more, nothing less.

Amen

Daily Question

What is first in your life? Is it obvious?

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God

Daily Reading

Job 38-39

Daily Thought

God speaks, at last, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.” And he began to question Job, “Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?” (Job 38:8, 11).

There are 362 quintillion gallons of water in the ocean. That is 362 billion billion or 3.62×1020 or 362,000,000,000,000,000,000. Or 7,250,000,000,000,000,000 bathtubs or 15,000,000,000,000,000 swimming pools, if that makes it easier.

“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?” (Job38:31, 33)

On a clear, moonless night, a few thousand stars are visible, of the 10,000,000,000 in the Milky Way galaxy. Some estimate there are 10 billion billion stars in the universe, but NASA put the number precisely at gazillions.

“Can you hunt the prey for the lion? Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does? Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, is the wild ox willing to serve you? Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south? Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high?” (Job 38:39; 39:1, 5, 9, 19, 26-27)

Estimates range from 5 million to 100 million different species on earth, but we’ve identified less than 2 million. Breaking this down into categories, zoologists come up with 20,000 species of fish, 6,000 species of reptiles, 9,000 of birds, 1,000 amphibians, and 15,000 species of mammals. The remaining millions are, you’ll be happy to know, insects and spiders. As to the total number of individual animals, the scientific estimate is, “I have absolutely no idea.”

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements–surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7).

God. That’s the answer. To everything. God.

Job said nothing. Sometimes it is the right time to be quiet, be still, and know that He is God.

Daily Prayer

Creator God, what a world I live in, created by Your hands, Your Word, Your breath. What a delight to look at the heavens and think of You. I marvel at the myriad shapes and sizes of Your creatures. Look at us, man and woman, a reflection of Your image.

May I, God, never cease my amazement at Your creativity. May I be a good steward of what You have placed in my care. May I use all things as You intended, to ultimately glorify You.

Amen

Daily Question

What are some of the things in creation that cause you to be still and worship?

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Slow Down

Daily Reading

Job 35-37

Daily Thought

Elihu continued to speak, and, surprisingly, made some sense. Job’s problem was not he had sinned, but he was too focused on himself. “Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God” (Job 37:14), was Elihu’s advice, and good advise, at that. 

Something, in fact, I should keep in mind.

I often drive back and forth between northern and southern California, always on Interstate 5. Fast lane, of course. It’s a straight shot, no distractions. NO DISTRACTIONS. Nothing to see, nothing to do. With one stop at Kettleman City for an In-N-Out double-double, I’m there. 400 miles, 6½ hours.

Interstate 5, every time. Except twice. Two times I detoured west along Highway One–a two-lane road, bending and curving, hugging the California coast. Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, San Simeon, Santa Barbara, it commands frequent stops to take in fog-shrouded cliffs, rugged canyons, windswept cypress trees, the crashing surf of the Pacific Ocean. 500 miles, 9 hours.

Ninety-eight percent of the time, I choose speed over splendor. But lately I’ve been asking myself, ‘Why?’ Why in the world do I hurry to Los Angeles  …and bypass the wonders of God? Or as a couple guys named Simon and Garfunkel put it, “Slow down, you move too fast.”

Daily Prayer

God of wonders, what a creation!! The stars so vast, beyond count, and yet you hold them in Your palm and name them. The depth of the oceans and height of the mountains do not surpass Your grandeur. Rather, they reflect Your majesty and mystery.

Lord, may I measure my days. May I be productive and do the work You have called me to do. May I also rest and worship. May I stop long enough to look at this world around me and reflect. May creation draw me to the wonder and worship of its Creator.

Amen

Daily Question

Why can’t you worship in a hurry? Or can you?

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The Wrath of God

Daily Reading

Revelation 9-12

Daily Thought

The judgment and wrath of God stand out in the book of Revelation, but only for a time and a measure. When angels sound their trumpets, locusts are released and “allowed to torment for five months, but not to kill” (Revelation 9:5), and plagues “prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind” (Revelation 9:15). The torment, though terrible, is limited, but the righteous reign of God is forever.

There are those who shame God for his wrath, yet stand unashamed in their sin. God is our King and Creator, “who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it” (Revelation 10:6), yet he presents himself to us with a choice, and despite the majesty that should lead us to worship, or the wrath that should drive us from sin, we may yet choose poorly, and many do, “the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk” (Revelation 9:20), but we can. 

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” ~Romans 1:18-20

Daily Prayer

Almighty God, You had to shout loudly for me to hear, but I did hear, and I am Yours. You keep turning my heart toward You. I long to have that deep desire to listen to You, so You can speak with the still soft voice and I will pay attention. But please, shout when You need to, when I’m distracted by the noise and the clutter that I surround myself with in this world.

Your eternity has changed my life today. I can bear the trials, because I know You, and in You my heart finds peace.

Amen