Song
O worship the King
O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise. (To cont. at the end).
Come let us sing praise to the King of kings, the Lord of lords, our everlasting God for He is worthy to be praised. One week to Christmas, is some excited? Praise the Name of the Lord, somebody!
I ask “Is there anything too difficult for our God to do? Nothing I presupposed, not even those pressing issues, they are walkover to Him. Just relax- the Greater than any pilot is in-charge of that flight you board. Your safety is granted and you landing so smooth. Give Jesus a laugh offering, beloved.
Talking about laughter, laughter is a good medicine to your heart (Ps 126:2; Job 8:21). God also laugh (Ps 2:4; 59:8). So it good also we laugh even in the face of that challenges, laugh my beloved and be merry, and you will put the Satan to shame (Job 22:19). We are in the season of rejoicing and merry making and nothing will stop your “Isaac” my beloved, nothing! (Hab 3:17-19).
Beloved, today we shall be looking at what the society thinks and what is expected of us in place of the society values: come as we consider some of today:
Hey… If Ya Got It, Flaunt It! Right?
Let’s face it. We live in a society where the powerful, the beautiful, and the bright usually get the recognition, the accolades and the promotions. It is a pride-driven world of self that takes on at least five forms of expression:
- SELF-PROMOTION — In our effort to command center stage, we have become masters at crafting just the right image, and uncommonly adept at manipulating people and circumstances. Thus, we artfully name-drop, apply pressure at strategic moments, flatter, pout, and intimidate. The Scriptures, however, do not allow us the luxury: “Should you then seek great things for yourself ? Seek them not… ” (Jeremiah 45:5a) (See Genesis 13; Romans 12:16)
- SELF-PITY — As a people, we have nurtured a “victim mentality” by refusing to take responsibility for our lives: “No one appreciates me.” “No one understands me.” “I had a rough childhood.” “They took advantage of me.” By way of contrast, consider St. Paul’s response to his severe victimization: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed… As servants of God… [we are] known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 4:8, 9; 6:4b, 9,10) (See 1 Kings 19:10; Job 10:1)
- SELF-SUFFICIENCY — “Hey… with enough guts, brains and raw hard work I will make it happen!” While God affirms a can-do spirit, He despises self-sufficiency that is rooted in pride:
“In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” (Psalm 10:4) (See Genesis 6:5, 6; Psalm 138:8; Proverbs 3:34; 11:2; 16:18; Isaiah 2:11, 12, 17; 14:11-15; 65:2; Romans 1:21, 28; James 4:6)
- SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS — “There are a lot of people out there doing a lot worse stuff than I.” “I‘m doing the best I can.” “I lead a clean, moral life.” “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10, 11) (See Isaiah 64:6; Luke 18:9-12; Romans 3:10-17; 10:1-4; Philippians 3:9)
- SELF-WORSHIP — “Hey, if ya got it, flaunt it! Right? ‘Cause if you don‘t toot your own horn, who will?” “Herod… delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man‘ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” (Acts 12:21b, 23) (See 2 Chronicles 26:16-21; Daniel 6:6-9; James 4:5, 6; 1 Peter 5:6)
The only hope – the only focus – the only option for the sincere follower of Christ is to climb up on the cross with him and die. And then allow his life, moment by moment to live through ours See Galatians 2:20. QUESTION: Today, are you willing once again to climb back up on that cross?
Someone is saying “yes, I am but how”? A look at the next message will you soul a lot of good. Instead of seeking out all the “self” mentioned above, why don’t you spend some time with your Marker? :
Practical Suggestions On How To Spend Time With God
Intimate fellowship with Christ was the purpose of both creation and the cross: “God… has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord… ” (1 Corinthians 1:9b) Here are a few suggestions on how to cultivate that intimacy:
- Make the time regular — preferably in the morning:
Set a goal of 5 days a week, minimum. Solitude and silence should grace the time. If you are new at it, start with 10 minutes. The time will pass surprisingly quickly and soon you will find yourself expanding it to more.
- Have a specific place where you can be alone:
The patio
The car
The bathroom
A closet
- Include in your time:
Worship
Thanksgiving
Confession of sin
Petition (asking God for answers)
Intercession (prayers for others) – Make a list of people
- Read and meditate over Scripture:
Set up an ordered sequence. I find I get more when I take a slow, measured, and in depth approach, rather than race through a specified number of chapters a day. Begin by meditating from a Psalm and a portion of a Proverb. As your appetite (and allotted time) expands, you may also want to add a segment from the New Testament. Once this pattern is well established, you may then want to add a portion from the Old Testament.
- Journal:
Write down what you are gleaning from the Scriptures. I find using different colored pens to circle and underline principles and key words or ideas is helpful.
With appropriate passages ask, “What does this text teach me about Jesus?” Write it down.
Write out a prayer that relates to the passage. Also, jot down specific answers to prayer.
Record applications you are making from your time of prayer and meditation on the Scriptures.
QUESTION: If you are not consistent in your time alone with God, are you willing to begin now by taking the necessary time and effort to develop constancy in this critical area of your life?
Beloved, another way to improve our relationship with God, help us to know Him better and seek after righteousness. Good I guess.
I hope you are getting ready for the D-day, please make sure you plan someone along ( the less privileged around you), make some family happy. Just be the Saviour they will celebrate and God will richly bless you.
Please continue with the song:
O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space;
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.
The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old,
Hath stablished it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.
Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend and a glorious week ahead.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
