Archive for the ‘ Worship ’ Category
And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:13 ESV
We must always – ALWAYS – remember to thank God and give Him praise for all He has done and is doing and will do.
In fact, get in the habit of thanking God before asking God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 42:11, ESV
Praising God is the best way to get out of a funk of depression, worry/anxiety, confusion, and fear.
Hope in God, your salvation.
Find wisdom in everything, and get a head start at Proverbial Thought!
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:7-11, ESVRejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
These are basically the inspiration for today’s poem. Therefore, as Casting Crowns says, will you praise Him in the storm? Will you praise Him when life is good? Will you praise Him when life is “okay”?
in everything (praise Him)
sometimes life is difficult
sometimes our plans all fail
yet i will say in everything
to praise Him Who prevailed
sometimes things do not work out
sometimes things are amazing
but i have learned the joy
of praising Him in everything
sometimes we do not want to praise Him
sometimes praise is all we think
in everything i now know
i need to give praise to my King
If the beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord, learn some basics at Proverbial Thought!
Call me a conservative Christian, even olde fashioned, but I greatly enjoy hymns. I think much of the greater evangelical church has lost or given up on a great link to our historical and theological past by neglecting the inclusion of hymns from weekly services.
I know. Many churches still play some hymns, and many play updated hymns from modern pop and rock bands.
In fact, today I offer a hymn done by one of those modern rock bands. Fortunately for us, they did little to it!
I will not waste any more time by explaining it. Just listen to the goodness!
All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the Royal Diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Bringing forth the Royal Diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race,
Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all!
You are Lord of all!
You are Lord of all!
Let every kindred, every tribe
On this terrestrial ball
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all!
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all!
And crown Him Lord of all!
And crown Him Lord of all!
Relax in the Father’s wisdom, and find some at Proverbial Thought!
These year, our church has a renewed focus on evangelism, specifically by better equipping the saints to reach out to their friends, families, and co-workers.
It is therefore fitting that the next poem on my list and the first one for the year is based on Jeremiah 20:9 (ESV)
If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
May all of us who call on the name of the Lord find this passion to share that Name above all names, even when (as in the context of this passage) it is difficult and even dangerous to do so!
right now my mind is racing
and my heart palpitating
struggling to concentrate
on anything but Your face
longing to be in Your Presence
searching out Your countenance
that You would look on this servant
to whom You have said “We are friends”
knowing that You will always love me
want me with You for eternity
is hard for me to grasp and believe
but this love set me completely free
knowing all this has taken me aback
my spirit stirred and i cannot relax
because Your love is keeping me held back
in a constant almost panic attack
Hear the voice of wisdom through the thoughts at Proverbial Thought!
There is no better reminder for the coming year than to seek first the Lord our God and worship Him alone.
You have probably heard the Christmas carol “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” … and many times in the past few weeks.
I have also heard teachings that, because they do not get to experience redemption as humans do, angels do not sing, and this is based on no biblical references to angels actually singing.
Regardless, there are many references to the redeemed of the Lord singing His praises.
Can you hear the music?
Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name.” SelahCome and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let not the rebellious exalt themselves. SelahBless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard
Psalm 66:1-8, ESV
Hear the music?
Giving yourself over to Jesus Christ
Ushers you into the symphony of life.
Jesus is the Perfect Note of this song,
Beginning the song and moving it along.
Those who believe and call on His Name
Hear His Note and help Him sing.
Are you able to hear the music?
Have you stepped away and need to come back?
Remember that as we sing this medley
It is a love song for eternity.
It is God singing His love for us,
And our harmonizing as a chorus,
To return that love He lavishes
By raising up our once quiet voices.
Do you hear the music of heaven?
Do you hear the voices of the repentant?
It is the outcry of broken hearts,
Of people ripping there lives apart
To clean out anything that could hinder
The notes we sing to our Father.
Tune into the heavenly song,
Sung by all those who now belong
To the Father through Jesus Christ.
Hear His music that transcends time,
His music that goes beyond Creation,
That causes death and reconstruction.
Do you hear the music playing?
Do you hear the voices singing?
Add your life to this masterpiece,
Led by the Master of true peace.
Join in with the Chorus of the Saints
Giving our Lord our utmost praise.
Here the call of wisdom and find some insight at Proverbial Thought!
This is not a poem so much as an exclamation. It is very free-verse-y … or something.
It is based on a combination of how excited I find myself getting during singing in church services … or in the car while listening to worship-full music … or just about anywhere, really … and this little passage found in 2 Samuel 6 (verses 16-22, NIV):
As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”
David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”
When i sing for God
i sing as loud as i can
so that my Father hears me.
If i am not the loudest
…
i am still on the loudest team!
Worship God through wisdom, some of which can be found at Proverbial Thought!
Seeing as this week we celebrate Christmas, let us do what the Magi did. Christmas is a time to remember the coming of Christ, the first time when He came to die and the second time when He returns to make all things new.
That deserves our awe, admiration, and worship.
i only want to worship You
i only want to worship You
You are the only One worthy
i cannot help but worship
for Your matchless love compels me
i will worship You every moment
through my actions and speech
i will worship You alone
until Your glory is all i see
i will worship the One True God
for You are all i need
i only want to worship You
for all of eternity
Get a taste of wisdom at Proverbial Thought!
“You shall have no other gods before me” and “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them” were the first to of the Ten Commandments.
God had to give them, because … things have not changed even 3,500 years later.
During the Christmas season, to use the cliché, let us remember the reason the season: Jesus the Christ, and not our gifts and finances.
paper idol
throughout history
man has rebelled
against the One
Who created it all
they created their own
gods they could control
metal and wood
all kinds of idols
in our world now
we have our false gods
some still look the same
silver and gold
some are of wood
others of fabric
idols of flesh
and even two sticks
the idol today
that is popular
is moved around
on slips of paper
these idols have
many different
sizes and colors
and also prints
sometimes only
the evidence
of these idols
of dollars and cents
will be found
instead of a clear
and physical
legal tender
our paper idol
controls our lives
even when we
try to deny
but in opulence
and in scarcity
all people find
they are in need
though some may not
worship this thing
our culture has made
money the king
Make sure you read David’s wise words on Proverbs 26:23 at Proverbial Thought!
Here is another look at who we are, this time through the lyrics of David Crowder.
Consider the following passages:
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:73 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Matthew 13:3-943 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Luke 6:43-45
God created us from the earth, and we are frequently referred to as soil or plants (which grow from soil).
Earth is soil which can support life.
Dirt, on the other hand, is misplaced soil. While things can grow from dirt, usually all you get are weeds or weak plants.
Only with soil do you get strong plants which are capable of producing good fruit. Good fruit are good deeds, good speech, and praise of God.
Weak plants and weeds do not give good fruit. Any good deeds from people like this are tainted by pride or do not have lasting or good results. There is a lack of, if any, praise to God.
And the thing that needs to be remembered is that only God by the grace shown through work of the crucified Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit can make us clean soil, fertile soil capable of growth and good fruit.
Listen to David Crowder and his band worship God for His creation and grace. Read the lyrics, and I pray grow in some understanding of just how much our God has done for us out of His love for us.
Wholly Yours by David Crowder Band
I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From a broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirtYou are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I wanna be holy like You areYou are everything that is bright and clean
And You’re covering me with Your majesty
And the truest sign of grace was this
From wounded hands redemption fell down
Liberating manYou are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy like You areBut the harder I try the more clearly can I feel
The depth of our fall and the weight of it all
And so this might could be the most impossible thing
Your grandness in me making me cleanGlory, hallelujah
Glory, glory, hallelujah
You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy, holy GodSo here I am, all of me
Finally everything
Wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly
I am wholly, wholly, wholly YoursI am wholly Yours
I am full of earth and dirt and You
a simple man of God 