God-Centered Worship

“The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble.” — Psalm 99:1

Our worship, though directed towards God, is always self-centered.

From the moment we first cried as babies to the complaints we have today, it has always been about us.

But it is not about what God has done in our lives more than what God has done period.

God-centered worship delights in the victories of God, the diseases healed by God, the lives touched by God,

the failures forgiven by God – even if they’re not our victories, our diseases, our lives, or our failures.

“If we rejoice that He reigns, even when His reign makes us tremble, we can know: 

God is the center of our worship.”

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Insecure

The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

— Exodus 4:11

“God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”

 

Inside Out

“Live for Jesus from the inside out, you will be blessed and unbelievers will be impressed.”

“…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

~ Matthew 5:16 (ESV) ~

to make God beautiful is to live a beautiful life.

 

Forever Alone?

“Sometimes just being alone out in God’s marvelous creation is all that’s needed for the scales to be removed from your eyes and for you to silence the harassment and the noise of your day and begin to hear from God.”

“Thus the Lord God….He said, In quietness and trust is your strength.” – Isaiah 30:15

Sometimes His most meaningful touch on our lives comes when we are alone. 

So better include in your schedule time to have a forever-alone-moment with God.

 

Stoic Heart

One thing that I appreciate about a stone is its hardness. A stone may be small like a mustard seed but once it gets into your eye, expect some infections. It can be so big, as well; big enough to take refuge from it and big enough to use it as a weapon against your foes.

Now, no matter how big or small a stone is, this small heart of mine desires to acquire such hardness. Hardness that makes it numb for things that don’t really matter anymore. Hardness that covers a soft spot against abuse and malpractice of emotions; and hardness that can only be softened by love… and nothing but pure love.

For no one can fully understand a man’s heart not even its steward. But fear not for God assures us that though the heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, like a puzzle that no one can figure out, it is God who searches the heart and examines the mind. He gets to the heart of the human. He gets to the root of things. He treats them as they really are, not as they pretend to be. (Excerpt from Jeremiah 17:9-10, MSG)

 

ill-deserved Grace

Will you choose your god who wants you to give up everything you have, even your very life for you to be saved?

Or will you choose my God who gave up everything He had, even His very life so that you could be saved?

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

 

Embracing An Enemy

 

“Forgiveness is not an emotion…. Forgiveness is an act of will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.”

— Corrie ten Boom