Here is a verse that certainly speaks for itself:
"Everything" we do is to bring glory to God...to honor and worship him. This verse, and a similar verse in I Corinthians 10v31:
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. I Corinthians 10:31,
presents worship as much more than singing songs of worship in a service on Sunday morning.
The words we speak, our performance in the workplace, our kindness to both friend and foe, our thoughts and attitudes, our faithfulness to God's Word, and our praise or testimony on Sunday are all forms of worship when done to express thankfulness and honor to God.
God's concept of worship is holistic...he expects the whole person—all the time, in all that is done or said. This truth 'raises the bar' in our approach to worship.
Additional Worship resources are listed below.
The Good News Is...
…such is the glory of God as revealed by God, himself. The Bible tells us that:
So it was that one day in his friend to friend relationship, Moses said to God:
God had an equally amazing response. He agreed to Moses’ request, saying:
Moses then replied:
Moses was asking nothing less than the ability to see into the very nature of God. What were God’s “ways” ………. what is it in the very being and way of God that brings Him glory?
God told Moses to present himself on Mt. Sinai the next morning, and He (God) would put Moses in a cleft of a rock. God would walk past and while Moses would not see God’s face, he would see the back of God. The next day God descended in a cloud; and putting His hand over Moses’ face, God walked past—lifting off His hand only when He was past. As God walked past, scripture tells us that God proclaimed the declaration at the top of this devotional.
What brings God glory is what He proclaimed. What brings God glory is to exhibit His nature—His way—which is to be merciful and gracious. He is slow to anger, and He is abounding in unshakeable love and faithfulness. This nature is expressed in action—that is, God maintains his grace and mercy to thousands, forgiving them of sins and transgressions. These ways are to God’s glory! And those “thousands” who have received God’s forgiveness over the centuries respond “glory to God!”
God’s final words to Moses are solemn. Those who reject His mercy and grace, those who refuse God’s forgiveness of their sins, those who harden and darken their hearts—they will carry their guilt into eternity. Such is the way of God.
The Good News Is...
The ten voices shouted out loudly:
The voices were those of ten lepers who met Jesus as he was traveling to Jerusalem through Samaria and Galilee. Jesus saw them as they stood on the outskirts of a village. He responded to the lifted voices with:
On their way to the priests, the ten discovered they were healed. It must have been a remarkable moment when the discovery was made—that turning to gaze at one another and then oneself to see the disease cleansed. What exultation there must have been—what joy to see one’s physical life reversed by Jesus, the Master.
You might know the remainder of the story. One leper, seeing he was healed, backtracked to find Jesus. Finding Him, the cleansed man threw himself at Jesus’ feet glorifying God and thanking his Healer. Jesus questioned the restored man,
The questions go unanswered in the story. Then, to the thankful one, Jesus said,
The story is a sad indictment of the hardness and self-centeredness of man’s heart—90% thankless, 10% thankful. I cannot read the story without questioning which percentage I am in. I have been a recipient of God’s grace just like the leprous man who returned. My problem was not leprosy but the blight of sin. I want to be like the man who falls on his face and returns thanks. Let’s be in the 10%. May God give you and me a spirit of examination to discern whether our hearts are truly thankful.
The story raises many questions but none is more important than what Jesus meant in saying to the thankful one, “Your faith has made you well.” Were all ten made well or only the one? And, what does it mean to be “made well?” Were the nine thankless ones healed physically but left sick—even deathly sick—spiritually sick? There can be little doubt about the spiritual deadness of the nine. But, there was one, the ten percent, who recognized that he—a sinner—had truly “met the Master.” This man, Jesus made whole!
The Good News Is...
Perhaps you have had the same experience I have. At Thanksgiving dinner someone asks the obvious question, “What are you thankful for today?” Often, very often, the question is followed by prolonged silence as if each is groping for some distant, almost forgotten reason to be thankful. (Can I eat this Thanksgiving dinner if I am not thankful?) Usually—and finally—someone will chime up and at least say, “Well, we have food to eat. I’m thankful for that.” Relieved that someone spoke, others nod and mumble agreement. A prayer of thanksgiving is said and we eat.
God’s Word written above tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” That should take care of the lengthy, searching-silence around the table. No searching is necessary if we are willing to give thanks in everything.
We are—and I say this in personal imperfection—to be in “full thanksgiving.” I confess to be one of those at the table who, after running the movie of recent months through my mind, might say, “Well, we had a beautiful summer this year and a good harvest.” Fine. But how distant and removed that is to the command “giving thanks in all circumstances.” We had four months of near drought causing us to discipline our use of water. Did I thank God for that? Well, no. I prayed for rain and was thankful when it came—but I never gave God thanks for trips to the laundromat, for short showers, and for disappointing walks to the near-empty spring.
Oh, I suppose someone might point out that the verse doesn’t say to give thanks for the circumstance but to give thanks in the circumstance. Somehow that stretches the matter thin. Has not God allowed both the circumstance and the fact I am in it?
God’s will is for us to give thanks—a “full thanksgiving.” This is God’s will “in Christ Jesus.” Job, who suffered much, points out:
Indeed, trouble is plentiful. But God has provided us deliverance and a hope “in Christ Jesus.” In Christ Jesus we are able to “rejoice always.” The old Swedish Thanksgiving hymn, Thanks to God, declares aptly—
Thanks for roses by the wayside, thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside, thanks for hope and sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow, thanks for heavenly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow, thanks through all eternity.
(August Ludvig Storm, 1891)
The Good News Is...
Earlier in that same Psalm we are told that He made us. We didn’t create ourselves, although we sometimes want to take credit for doing so, believing that by our own hands we have become who we are. However, God is the one who gives us life, and He created us to be His people.
Perhaps one would think he or she has strayed so far from what God expected that God is more of an enemy than a loving Father. But, no, the Bible tells us that:
We only need ask forgiveness, then trust that our sins were paid for on the cross because Jesus took them on Himself as His sins.
We then are free to walk as sinless, “saved” people of God. Therefore, we begin a speaking, trusting relationship with Him. By regularly praying and reading the Bible, His Word to us, we begin to grow closer to Him in our inner being. Besides reading the Bible, our attending a Bible-believing church and spending time with other believing people helps us on our journey to Heaven.
When making these choices, we will begin seeing a difference in ourselves as we are changed from the inside out. We are also blessed with innumerable benefits from God, not the least being eternal life and the fear of death being removed. We can live each day in that new life, assured that God, our Father loves us and will never leave us.
Read Psalm 100 for yourself and give thanks to God!
The next page contains Questions & Answers about salvation. Select the link below: