“Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,”
I Chronicles 16:8-12 NKJVRejoicing
Sunday morning is a time of the bitter and the sweet. There is bitter, because one has spent a week dealing with the struggles of everyday life and it can be hard to decompress. There is also the inevitable interaction with the people of the congregation, some devoted and some not. Even Satan has wolves mixed in with the sheep.
The sweet is the time spent with those who are the devoted to Christ, those in the house of God to worship, fellowship, and be edified. For me, it is an opportunity to exercise my spiritual gifts, to encourage others, to pray with and for my brothers and sisters.
First and foremost is the sweetness of worshipping my God. It starts in the morning, as I pause, pray, read Scriptures, and enjoy worship music. It is a daily ritual, as I prepare myself for the meeting time.
I am thankful for the daily visitation I receive from the Lord.
This morning I read of David’s return of the Ark to Jerusalem. He was enthusiastic in worshipping, as he danced and whirled with unabashed devotion. He knew no shame in his worship, as it reflected his thankfulness for all God had done.
When I encounter moments of struggle, or when the drudgery of flesh threatens to bring me down, I reflect on Jesus, and what He did for me. I worship, and proclaim His glory in my house, this house of flesh called my body. I rejoice in my salvation, that there now is no condemnation.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:1 NKJVMy mere comprehension of that fact, has the ability to empower me to endure all things. Come what may, I know that I will spend eternity with the Lord.
His love for me consumes my thoughts, defines my perception of whatever reality that I am in, as I know that I am His, and He is faithful.
Many of us around the world are encountering all manner of trouble, as we seek to bring the name of Jesus to the world. We are beaten, we are imprisoned, tortured and killed. Yet we persist. Our connection to God cannot be broken.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:35-39 NKJVAs we prepare to enter this Lord’s day, let us remember His faithfulness and all that He has done. Let us be like David, and worship with gusto, unabashed and unashamed.
Jesus is worthy of all our attention, even when things around us are so distracting. I have learned that the Lord tends to remove the distractions from my view, as I am devoted only to Him.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
II Corinthians 4:16-18 NKJVHappy Sunday!
Rejoicing
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Musings from an idle mind 
He is worthy!!!
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