The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. (Psalm 28:7)
Today as a people, the family of God, a body closely knit together; we will sing songs unto our God. In this verse from Psalm 28, David greatly admonishes that it is our heart that sings to God. It cannot be covered up or hidden from the one we adore, Jesus! Was David always having a good day and everything going his way? No! But this he did whether conquering a city, going astray, seeking healing or asking for forgiveness; David knew his God! He knew that his heart was the great communicator with Almighty God. No matter what his affairs were, David's heart trusted in God. Then he says, "I am helped." The songs that we will sing today, magnifying and glorifyingthe Lord, will echo the abundance of our hearts; along with the trust we have put in him. It's no wonder Father God says, " that he inhabits the praises of his people."
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Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 1:18) As the journey to Bethlehem is once again reenacted in the hearts of God's faithful, at this holiday season, it seems as though two celebrations are taking place under the same banner. The hopeful that await eternal life, are truly thanking their heavenly Father for his gift of love to the whole world. The holy child Jesus to them is a king, lord and master, the great physician, Messiah, holy one of Israel and life incarnate. Finding it a most reasonable vocation to love and serve him daily. On the other hand, many are void of this understanding. It's no wonder Jesus instructed us to be a light unto the world. Can you think of a better time to turn up the glow? But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Can you imagine that? The same Holy Ghost! I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to all men. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) How good is our God, how great is his name! Yes, time and chance happens to us all. These events are not always what man considers a bad happening. Sometimes the unexpected might be as they say, "just what the doctor ordered." However, time does present a challenge to us all. Go back a day, a week, a year or even 10 years. See what I mean; time is always echoing this message: Teach me to number my days, oh Lord, that I might incline my heart to wisdom. God's wisdom is pure peaceable gentle and easy to entreat, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. We seem to be living in a world that gives great audience to hypocrisy and little attention to wisdom. Time is in the drivers seat and very few consider its destination.The person of God is timeless, eternal, always elevated to the thoughts and word of God.This in turn will lift the heaviest of weights concerning man's limited expression of success or failure to the knowledge of our Lord and Master himself, Jesus Christ.Only then can you or I embrace this world of time and chance. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:11) What a mighty God we serve! To fulfill his will has always been a criteria for all believers to strive for. To embrace this fact, that you or I can make his word become alive in our life, bringing in the desired purpose of all creation. Just think for a moment: today we will praise our Lord God in song, worship, ties, fellowship and many other heavenly avenues. Jesus will be exalted! God will be glorified! The Holy Ghost will be received by all! Praise will spring forth. Burdens will be lifted in the presence of a living God and Father. All the enemies of the cross of Jesus will flee. Fulfilling the first ingredient of the Scripture we have just read. The second part is righteousness; his righteousness! Here we see God's wisdom. Many of the people that you or I will meet throughout the week will not have attended this meeting. They will not have beheld the free will offering of praise and worship, hearing the word of God nor enjoying the fellowship that will take place in God's house today. However, they will have met you. God equates the righteousness that we emulate to others, as a "sacrifice of praise," unto him. Now, this scripture is complete. Not just song and praise on Sunday morning, but his life springing forth all week! |
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January 2019
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