Day: January 6, 2009

Sometimes it begins with the smallest–most simple act on our part.

While driving down the road to work each day—I look at the sky. The painting of the colors —even in the cloud formation takes my breath away!

And I worship.

I tell Him how magnificent it all looks to me. I marvel at the sculpting of the mountains when I visit there. I smile at the ocean’s waves as they roll in and out from the shore. The things that God has created takes my heart to a place of worship when I stop long enough to realize—-He did this for our enjoyment!

Every star—every color of the rainbow—it’s for us. For US! He certainly didn’t need it–I mean look at the details of His Kingdom in Heaven! But He has created this place for US—to enjoy while we live our days here—and it’s a place where we can freely worship. Him. The Creator of it all!

In the bustling busyness of our days—take time to worship Him. You will be amazed at the difference it will make in your day. Abraham did. Genesis 12:8 is the verse Oswald Chambers uses today.

“And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.” (NKJV) With Bethel as the symbol of communion with God and Ai the way of the world—Abraham pitched his tent between the two—I like to think, with his face set toward God and his back on the world. He carried on the traditions that had been set before him. Worship and offerings to God.

I read a book years ago called “Job’s Niece”, by Grace Livingston Hill and in the book, the characters, the mom and dad returned to the ways of their own parents after having to deal with many family disturbances brought about by leaving God completely out of their day-to-day living.

They neglected worship.

So every evening they had their children sit down after dinner in the living room and the father read to the children from the Bible. They returned to the ways of worshipping God. Of course the teens balked at this, but were obedient, albeit with very sulky faces. However, Grace Livingston Hill, wove the story around until the situation righted itself as one by one the teens and children alike all turned their hearts and minds to Jesus Christ.

Deliberate worship. Daily worship. From the sincere heart is a offering of sweet incense to the Father!

Sometimes when I’m driving it begins with a simple word. Hallelujah! Over and over I may say it out loud! AND with much feeling—and when I do—when I put my whole heart and soul into expressing my gratitude to Him—-He FLOODS my heart and soul right back with a washing with tears and a cleansing and readying for my day…the day He blessed me with.

It makes all the difference in my day. When I am deliberate about my worship.

Join me?

You sing your song to Him, I’ll sing mine. He will love them both!!

“Lord”, Simon Peter said to Him, “where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow later.” (John 13:36 Holman CSB) Oswald Chambers uses the KJV and I love the way it reads…“but thou shalt follow Me afterwards.” Afterwards.

Girls, I just have to tell you—today’s words has brought the tears to the forefront. Stuck in my throat and threaten to burst as a waterfall. Maybe it’s partly due to the post I finished tonight called “Letter from Heaven“. But I also believe that once again—the Lord has confirmed to me that this book—this devotional tool, was the correct one for this year. Words I spoke today—BEFORE I ever opened this book are on this page. (If you have the book—read today!)

Following Christ Jesus has been my determined path for some time. More determination than before, however, lit my heart afire this past year. Actually, the fire began rising higher in 2007.

Between the first calling of “Follow Me” from Jesus to Peter to the second calling was one of the “blank spaces”. What Peter did in his blank space is, I’m afraid what happens in many of our lives in our blank space. Chambers’ words, “Between these times Peter had denied Jesus with oaths and curses, he had come to the end of himself and all his self-sufficiency, there was not one strand of himself he would ever rely upon again, and in his destitution he was in a fit condition to receive an impartation from the risen Lord.” Sound familiar?

It does to me. For I found HIM only at the end of myself. Realizing I had no power to change any circumstance of my life…but He had all power. As Chambers closes this page, his words ring true and fresh tears sting. “There is only one lodestar in the life now, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Lodestar. Guiding star. Point of reference. My trusty dictionary.com says this about lodestar:

1. a star that shows the way.
2. Polaris.
3. something that serves as a guide or on which the attention is fixed.

Today, where is your attention fixed? Are you at the end of your abilities? You will never find the end of His. Without Him, we have no ability, but Jesus said four times in the Gospels, “with God all things are possible…..”….”If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.”….”With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”…..”And he said, Abba, Father, all things [are] possible unto thee”….(Matthew 19:26; Mark 9:23; 10:27; and 14:36)

What are you believing Him for? Are you at the “afterwards of your blank space?”…are you looking at the horizon and feel the end of yourself? That is where I found Him. At the very end of me. No longer self-sufficient…but God is sufficient for me.