Day 13: Worshipping God with Everything

Scripture Reference: Psalm 150

“The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.” - Billy Graham
Worship is not limited to a song or a worship service. There are many forms of worship to engage, such as our service to others and our giving, but the list can certainly go on and on. One does not need to wait till 10 AM on Sunday morning to begin the worship experience. It begins before you arrive at church. Worship begins when you start your day simply by acknowledging the Father and His greatness. Worship cannot be measured or boxed in by opinions, styles, or preferences. It is your personal way of telling Jesus with everything within, how amazingly great He is and recognizing the never-end- ing dependency of His glory and His presence.

Have you ever thought how fascinating it is that we’ve never received a bill for air, or for the usage of our brain activities, nor for the use of our limbs. These gifts have all been provided as tools. Tools for what you may ask. For God's glory. God created you for a purpose. We should feel a sense of urgency to show forth His glory in every area of our life, to worship Him with every tool and resource He gave to us.

If our song will bring God glory then let’s sing our song of worship with everything. If helping those who are in need and desperately desire to feel God's presence....then let us selflessly worship the Lord in giving of our time. If it is dedicating to Him a special time to lavish Him with our love, then we sit and adore and worship Him for even taking the time for to allow us to dwell in His presence.

My greatest aspiration is that God will see that I have and do worship Him with everything that He has given me, in the good times and bad. That I worship Him when I’ve felt like it and when I didn't. That I worshiped Him not for all that He could give but simply because of who He is. I want my worship to use every gift and talent and any of the tools He so freely gave with everything for his glory. Jesus is totally worthy of our adoration and our undivided attention. We will never be able to thank God enough for the sacrifice of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection to redeem us from the hand of the enemy.

David is such a great example to every believer of Worshiping God with Everything. He had so much to offer God, including his music, work ethic, and as a skilled warrior. However he started in the fields caring for his father’s sheep, giving his all in all things to give glory to God. With every victory he acknowledged God. One of my favorite passages of scripture is Psalm 150 where David encourages us to employ whatever tool we have to give God glory. Whatever it is... Give it your all!! Worship God with every- thing!! Go ahead, it's your turn. Think about it today... How can you, with everything, worship God with your life? You have breath... then you have everything you need to give Him glory!!

-Lisa Harrell

Day 12: When Your Sails No Longer Have Wind

“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” (Ps 107:29-30)

Imagine for a moment you began an exciting sailing adventure. You've been trained to navigate and sail on the ocean and be ready should trouble arise. You are confident you can handle the challenge. However, midway in the journey your resources have dried up. It almost seems God has intentionally destroyed all the skills you have to deal with the weather and the obstacles and your sails are now damaged. Even your engine has broken down. And to make matters even worse, your oars were lost overboard. You are stuck in the middle of the ocean and there is no wind to propel your boat. You are, as they say, "up the creek without a paddle."
All of this leads you to the end of yourself and you say, "Lord, I don't know why you brought me out here only to die." The silence is deafening.
Finally, the Lord speaks, "Yes, you are right. I did bring you out here. I did destroy your sails. I did break your engine. And yes, I do want you dead. Not in a physical sense, mind you, but in a spiritual sense. In order that you may LIVE."

"You see my child, you are nothing without Me. You cannot do anything without my grace and power in your life." The sailor quietly yields. Suddenly, a gentle wave lifts the front of the boat. An easterly wind blows through the broken sail moving the boat in the right direction. You realize God is moving your boat! Your role now is to steer it.
Do your sails no longer have wind to move you? Is your engine broken? Does it feel like God has propelled you into the open sea only to stop midway with no options? Perhaps He is saying it is time to die in order that He might live through you. Give the Lord total control today and you will see His wind moving through your tattered sails. 

-Today God is First Os Hillman

Day 11: What Do You Have?

Scripture Reference: Luke 12:48

We must thank the Lord for His bountiful blessings, but greater still are His mercies. Treasure His gifts of opportunity, privilege, reward, and pleasure that He lavishes upon you. Yet, always seek to recognize the merciful bless- ings hidden in your bounty.

Your job means no more hunger or nakedness, because of His provision.

Your home means no homelessness or exploitation, for you have a safe refuge.

Your salvation means no longer are you wandering about in isolation, because of the love and sacrifice of Christ.

Your joy means no discouragement or despondency, for the Holy Spirit fills every emptiness.

Your faith means no more hopelessness or doubt, because you possess the knowledge of God. Do you see that?

In the great blessings you receive are greater blessings to give, such as food, money, clothing, shelter, and protection; relationships, family, joy, peace, surety, hope, and rest.

“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48)

Through His mercies we abound, in order to give and share with those in need. That is our responsibility and joy.

Therefore, receive what He provides. Give of what you have. Share what you know. 

-Sarah Johnson

Day 10: Journey to the Promised Land

Scripture Reference: Deuteronomy 8:2, 2 Corinthians 12:

The original journey from Egypt to the land flowing with milk and honey should have taken the children of Israel 11 days on foot. The children of Israel, however, languished in the wilderness for 40 long years. Why would the Lord take the children of Israel through a winding, desolate, wilderness on the way to a land flowing with milk and honey? Everything God does has divine purpose.

The Wilderness Awaits

God places every Saint in a wilderness experience to serve 2 causes: 1) To test our commitment to the cross
2) To humble us

Think about the following; how do you react when you don’t get what you want? Is it with anger or resentment? Do you blame others for your misfortune? Is it the white man or the black woman that’s holding you back? You fill in the blank. It seems to always be someone else’s fault, right?

Welcome to your personal wilderness. No true Christian can escape years of trials and testing. It is God’s refining fire that every Christian will experience in some form.

The Children of Israel languished 40 long years in a barren wasteland called the wilderness. Your wilderness may be serving a well deserved sentence in a prison cell; or married to a difficult spouse; it may be dealing with a drug addicted child, living in constant poverty, or even the stress of an empty womb. The list can go on and on. And you may ask yourself, does God see, and if He sees why has He not answered?

The Testing of Commitment

In times of extreme testing that seems to go on and on, our commitment is surely being tried. Will you go the distance for Christ, or bail-out when the hairs of your head are being singed in the fire? The scripture says “My grace is sufficient for thee”. Paul asked 3 times to have his thorn removed. God refused.

Can we still love when God refuses our request, or do we revert to our Adamic (sin) nature? Can we sing “It is well with my soul” in the midnight hour? The Lord is doing a supernatural work in each of us to humble us and bring us into a new land, if we endure until the end.

Paul said it best: 2 Corinthians 12:9 and he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
So Seek His face; Turn from all wicked ways; and trust that God knows what he is doing. He never fails. 

-Mark & Sherri Bryant

Day 9: Worship and Service

Scripture Reference: Luke 10:40-42

One time during prayer, I prayed that God would help me to be a better a wife to Will, and then I prayed about being a better mother to Caleb, and I paused and said Lord help me a better everything to everyone else. Then I paused again. In that moment of silence, the Holy Spirit remindedme of Mary and Martha. These sisters are not to be compared or contrasted as one being better than the other, but we are to see two sides of the same coin and grow in our understanding of worship and service. 

In Luke 10: 40-42, Martha was busy serving others. More than likely, she was cleaning, preparing food, and engaging her visitors. Mary was at the feet of Jesus. Because Martha was getting overwhelmed with her responsibilities, she asked Jesus for help. Like Martha, I prayed for Jesus to help me do better fulfilling all of the roles in my life. We should find comfort in knowing that when we feel distracted or overwhelmed by our responsibilities, we can bring them to Jesus.

He responds by acknowledging Martha’s struggle. She is worried and bothered by so many things. Jesus cares that we are stressed, and that we are trying to do everything in our ability to be all things to all people. Being active in service isn’t necessarily bad. The problem is when we do all of those things while neglecting the good part. We cannot neglect worship in our service. These two spiritual disciplines are interconnected. We serve out of a heart of worship. 

Martha served Jesus and the disciples not only that day, but other times throughout the Gospels. After witnessing her own brother Lazarus resurrected from the dead, she served supper for them (John 12:2). She is counted among the women who went to Jesus tomb to preserve His body only to be greeted by angels proclaiming Christ’s resurrection (Luke 24:1-10). Martha encountered Christ and witnessed miracles while serving, so we shouldn’t conclude that service is the enemy. Our service should be an extension of our time at the feet of Jesus. 

May we take the time to rest at His feet so that we will have the heart of worship in our service. 

-Sheyonna Watson

Day 8: What My Obedience to God Costs Other People

Scripture Reference: Luke 23:26

If we obey God, it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the pain begins. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything— it is a delight. But to those who do not love Him, our obedience does cost a great deal. If we obey God, it will mean that other people’s plans are upset. They will ridicule us as if to say, “You call this Christianity?” We could prevent the suffering, but not if we are obedient to God. We must let the cost be paid.

When our obedience begins to cost others, our human pride entrenches itself and we say, “I will never accept anything from anyone.” But we must, or disobey God. We have no right to think that the type of relationships we have with others should be any different from those the Lord Himself had (see Luke 8:1-3).

A lack of progress in our spiritual life results when we try to bear all the costs ourselves. And actually, we cannot. Because we are so involved in the universal purposes of God, others are immediately affected by our obedience to Him. Will we remain faithful in our obedience to God and be willing to suffer the humiliation of refusing to be independent? Or will we do just the opposite and say, “I will not cause other people to suffer”? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but it will grieve our Lord. If, however, we obey God, He will care for those who have suffered the consequences of our obedience. We must simply obey and leave all the consequences with Him.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.

-My Utmost for His Highest

Day 7: Waiting and Resting

Wait on the Lord and be of good courage. And He will strengthen your  heart. Wait I say on the Lord. Psalm 27:14
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Psalms 37:7a

If you are waiting and unsure of exactly what God is doing, then you are in goodcompany. Every believer experiences waiting. The Bible is all about waiting. The Disciples waited on Jesus being resurrected (Luke 24). The believers waited on the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). There is a level of uncertainty when we wait. We expect God will fulfill His promises, yet we are uncertain as to when this will happen. Not having the specific information of when can be frustrating.

We think we should know everything, but God is omniscient; we are not. God may be stingy with His omniscience, but He is liberal with His omnipresence. We can be of good courage if we remember that He will strengthen our heart. He is in the future creating the way and He is presently with us calming our fears and doubts.

We must rest in the Lord and waiting patiently for Him. Waiting can make us feel anxious, yet Psalms 37 encourages us to rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. This resting is not the absence of activity, but this rest is the absence of worry. Worrying while waiting is something that has happened to us all, but when it happens, we cannot allow it to consume us. Waiting in God, means to rest in His promise. Rest in the one who has saved you, who has delivered you, who has brought you thus far and will never leave you or forsake you. 
Today, are you resting and waiting in Him? Or are you anxious and filled with worry? Bring your anxiety and worry to God in prayer. Entrust Him with your doubts and impatience, and abide in Him.  

Day 6: Is My Sacrifice Living

Abraham built an altar…; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar… Genesis 22:9

This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not— “Lord, I am ready to go with You…to death” (Luke 22:33). But— “I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God.”

We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. It is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. Those bands are loosened immediately by identification with the death of Jesus. Then we enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him.

It is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants you to be a “living sacrifice”— to let Him have all your strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus (Romans 12:1). This is what is acceptable to God.

-My Utmost for His Highest