"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
You have to pardon me for just a moment as I have chills from immediate affirmation! Praise God!! I have felt a tugging on my heart all day to sit down this evening and write on this blog but wasn't sure what the blog was going to be about. The Holy Spirit often waits for me to quiet myself to give me the words he'd have me share with you. I came to the computer and got some of my resources out and I found John 4:23-24 and instantly I thought, this is it!! And then, I go to my favorite source online to look at some parallel translations and what is the scripture of the day... John 4:24! SCORE!
How appropriate of a scripture at this time when so many are focused on the "big game" coming up. Football pools and parties are being planned even as I type this. How I long to see that excitement in the body of believers over a far greater "big game", the one most refer to as life. More importantly that we'd all be the best cheerleaders we could be praising and shouting, dancing and clapping for a Savior who came to do much more than win a game but to win our souls for eternity. I don't know about you, but I can get far more excited about my Jesus and about all he has done for me than I can for anything else in this world. Don't misunderstand, I love watching a good game and if I had a team in this Superbowl you can bet I'd be pretty happy. That's all fine and good, but how can I, a daughter of the King, get more excited and show more enthusiasm about something so temporary as a night of football than I can about eternity and the one who made it possible for me to have that?
The scripture says, "...has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." I pray that I'm a worshiper that is pleasing to the Father. We were made to worship God, not this world, and yet we do it over and over again with misplaced priorities. There is nothing more praise worthy than our God. There is nothing here on this earth I hold more valuable than my relationship with Jesus Christ. And there is nothing more powerful than the spirit welling up in my soul shouting out Thank You God! Thank You! Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for loving me even when I'm my most unlovable. Thank you for desiring to spend time with me. Thank you for bringing others alongside me who support me, who care about me and who are simply there whenever I need them. Thank You! Thank You!
My prayer is that I never place any thing, any relationship or my own life above God. Everything I am and everything I have came from God and its in his hands that I return them. One of the hardest days of my life was the day that I turned over my son and placed him in God's hands to take home. That's what I'm talking about... that's what I hope you get. Worship God with all your being and hold nothing back, even the most precious parts... give him all as he has given you and praise him for the mighty blessings.
How have you worshiped your God today? Have you shown him that he is everything or have you placed him low on your priority list? Are you more interested in preparing for the "big game" or are you set on a greater victory already won through Christ Jesus? Worship him, believers, worship him. Be the kind of worshipper that he seeks.
Under His Wings,
Heather
Monday, January 28, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Junk Food; 1 Corinthians 10:31
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
You would think at some point in my ingesting of the word, I would have gotten the message from this scripture loud and clear but somehow it has been totally lost on me. I'm giving myself a big DUH right now. Do it ALL for the glory of God. The word tells us that our bodies are a temple, but most of the time we treat it as anything but. Now for my exercise and health enthusiast, this doesn't mean you've been getting it right and the rest of us have been getting it wrong, because let's face it, sometimes we don't take care of the temple for God's glory... Amen? But for those that truly have embraced this form of living and understand that EVERYTHING we do for his temple is for HIS glory, I commend you. I'm a bit of a slow learner sometimes so show me some grace, I'm trying to get there.
This time of year people begin thinking about change and about resolutions and it seems only right that God would share this scripture with me on a personal level. It's not just about losing weight or even about me being healthier (although being healthier is respecting the temple which I was given charge over). It's about presenting myself as a holy and living temple for the most high. Everything about me should state boldly that I am of my father and my father in me. From the expression on my face, the words I speak, the actions I exhibit, the clothing that I wear (or don't wear...come on, you know sometimes those necklines and skirt lines are bit too much) We are to be HIS GLORY at all times. This temple that I have been given responsibility for is just another example of taking care of my father's business... I am his business. Have you ever seen a company let their property go to ruin and their business just thrive (if they are ligit)? NO... they maintain it, keep it up so that it reflects what the business has to offer.
We have been given specific instruction to take care of all that is of God, WE are of God. We need to take care of what he has given us, to be good stewards of what we have. I've been blessed with two functioning arms, two legs, eyes to see, ears to hear and a mouth to speak. Those are the very instruments, my arsenal in the temple to use. Well done are words I long to hear from my creator and if I can't even keep up his temple how can he trust me with anything else?
I see my husband's eyes light up when I've gone the extra effort to put myself together and being one of the lucky ones... he never fails at telling me how beautiful I look. I can't imagine my God, the very one who designed me, would look at me any less than the one he designed for me when I am doing right and being a good and faithful steward of the temple he gave me. If I'm aware that something is not right for my body whether it be junk food, junk drink, junk words, junk thoughts, junk attitude or whatever the junk is then I need to stop it before it enters this temple (or leaves it). I wasn't designed to hold junk, I've got something far more precious than gold inside me and so do you.
I started a new daily reading plan with my Bible through an app on my phone. I picked it moreso for the title than any other reason because it just reasonated with me... it's called "Eat this Book". How appropriate? We are what we eat, isn't that the old saying? I'd rather be something that gives God glory than be junk. Of course we can be just the opposite and become obsessed with doing everything for the temple that we fail to see all the other crumbling temples around us needing care... but I'll save that for another blog.
What junk is God asking you to stop placing inside his temple? Are you eating, drinking and doing all things for the glory of God or for the glory of self? Not always an easy task and not always an easy answer when responding honestly.
Under His Wings,
Heather
You would think at some point in my ingesting of the word, I would have gotten the message from this scripture loud and clear but somehow it has been totally lost on me. I'm giving myself a big DUH right now. Do it ALL for the glory of God. The word tells us that our bodies are a temple, but most of the time we treat it as anything but. Now for my exercise and health enthusiast, this doesn't mean you've been getting it right and the rest of us have been getting it wrong, because let's face it, sometimes we don't take care of the temple for God's glory... Amen? But for those that truly have embraced this form of living and understand that EVERYTHING we do for his temple is for HIS glory, I commend you. I'm a bit of a slow learner sometimes so show me some grace, I'm trying to get there.
This time of year people begin thinking about change and about resolutions and it seems only right that God would share this scripture with me on a personal level. It's not just about losing weight or even about me being healthier (although being healthier is respecting the temple which I was given charge over). It's about presenting myself as a holy and living temple for the most high. Everything about me should state boldly that I am of my father and my father in me. From the expression on my face, the words I speak, the actions I exhibit, the clothing that I wear (or don't wear...come on, you know sometimes those necklines and skirt lines are bit too much) We are to be HIS GLORY at all times. This temple that I have been given responsibility for is just another example of taking care of my father's business... I am his business. Have you ever seen a company let their property go to ruin and their business just thrive (if they are ligit)? NO... they maintain it, keep it up so that it reflects what the business has to offer.
We have been given specific instruction to take care of all that is of God, WE are of God. We need to take care of what he has given us, to be good stewards of what we have. I've been blessed with two functioning arms, two legs, eyes to see, ears to hear and a mouth to speak. Those are the very instruments, my arsenal in the temple to use. Well done are words I long to hear from my creator and if I can't even keep up his temple how can he trust me with anything else?
I see my husband's eyes light up when I've gone the extra effort to put myself together and being one of the lucky ones... he never fails at telling me how beautiful I look. I can't imagine my God, the very one who designed me, would look at me any less than the one he designed for me when I am doing right and being a good and faithful steward of the temple he gave me. If I'm aware that something is not right for my body whether it be junk food, junk drink, junk words, junk thoughts, junk attitude or whatever the junk is then I need to stop it before it enters this temple (or leaves it). I wasn't designed to hold junk, I've got something far more precious than gold inside me and so do you.
I started a new daily reading plan with my Bible through an app on my phone. I picked it moreso for the title than any other reason because it just reasonated with me... it's called "Eat this Book". How appropriate? We are what we eat, isn't that the old saying? I'd rather be something that gives God glory than be junk. Of course we can be just the opposite and become obsessed with doing everything for the temple that we fail to see all the other crumbling temples around us needing care... but I'll save that for another blog.
What junk is God asking you to stop placing inside his temple? Are you eating, drinking and doing all things for the glory of God or for the glory of self? Not always an easy task and not always an easy answer when responding honestly.
Under His Wings,
Heather
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