Worship Spotlight 3/21/11

I have friends who are runners; some have even trained for marathons. I say they have “trained” for it because you don’t just go out and run 26 miles and expect to finish the race. First they make the decision to run; then after they succeed at some distance running they plan to work toward the goal of competing in – and hopefully finishing – a marathon. It takes planning, dedication, discipline and time.

When it comes to your walk, your work, your worship – have you set goals? Where do you want to be 6 months from now when it comes to your relationship with God, with others in your church family, with regard to your level of commitment and service? What about your level of worship? Just like those who run, we must train ourselves to become what we desire to be. It will take some thoughtful pondering and searching to truly evaluate ourselves. “Where am I at spiritually?” “What is my level of knowledge of scripture?” “Where do I feel God calling me?” “How do I feel led to serve?” “Do I struggle to let myself surrender in my worship of the Lord of heaven and earth?” “What can I do to work toward those goals?”

Just like marathon running it takes planning, dedication, discipline and time to fulfill these dreams we have for ourselves and our church. But it starts with each one of us striving to be more today than we were yesterday. Will you look back at the end of 2011 and say, “This is the year that I really grew!” or will it just be more of the same? You have what it takes! Now, what will you do about it?

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (CEV) “ ²⁴You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! ²⁵Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever. ²⁶I don't run without a goal. And I don't box by beating my fists in the air. ²⁷I keep my body under control and make it my slave, so I won't lose out after telling the good news to others.”

Worship Spotlight 4 5 2010

Her husband says he loves her; that she's the most important thing in the world to him. Yet his actions speak louder than his words of love and devotion. His free time is divided between his favorite sports events, television shows and online computer games. No time is left for quiet time with his wife. No time spent enjoying life together. Does this fictional husband really love his wife more than himself?

Using this example, take a good look at your relationship with Jesus. Do you love God? Of course we would most likely all answer "Yes!" Is He the most important thing in your world? What is your time and energy spent on? There are 24 hours in a day but they seem to be filled with sleeping, working, eating and other responsibilities. What free time we have is quickly filled with other activities or just vegging out.

God can be glorified while we prepare meals for our family or patiently help with homework or other household chores. But he still desires our attention and devotion. He wants to have some quality alone time with YOU! He has written you a book of love letters, poetry and stories of the past that he wants to share. He wants to whisper words in your ear that are just for you. Are you quiet enough to hear them?

Worshiping God is so much more than attending a Sunday morning service for an hour and fifteen minutes. If we truly worship God, our whole lives will be affected by it. Our Sunday morning corporate worship is important. (Heb 10: 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.) But - it is only one small part of our worship.

Col 3:23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
Deut 11: 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up
Psalm 46: 10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
Mark 12: 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

If we are Christians, worshiping God can not be a small part of our lives. It should be woven through every part of every day. Be intentional in your relationship with Christ and encourage those around you to do the same! God will amaze you with the results.

Worship Spotlight 1 11 10

Take a deep breath and ponder on the beauty of
an individual snowflake;
a crisp winter morning when the trees are hanging low with snow;
the detailed design of a frosted window pane;
the pink in the cheeks of a child playing in the cold.
God’s beauty is found everywhere. Don’t overlook His glory as He gives us glimpses of His majesty, His intricacy, His creativity, His care and His love. Today, spend some quiet moments worshiping Him in the silence of an icy winter day.

Psalm 96 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.

Worship Spotlight 11 30 09 by Theresa Zuber

During this time of year when gift giving is on everyone's mind, let's take a little time to talk about giving as an act of worship. Typically, when it's time to give our tithes and offerings, we look to it as an act of obedience or perhaps obligation. Recently, I have looked at it as another act of worship.

Matt 2:11 On coming to the house, they (the Magi) saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

We are commanded to give a tithe to the church. Other passages refer to giving offerings over and above the tithe. This act of giving back to God is referred to as a pleasing sacrifice. Heb 13:16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Have YOU thought about giving as an act of worship? Perhaps this Christmas you could send a one time, or monthly donation to the Oblong Christian Children's Home - a local home for foster children that instills Christian values and gives kids the security of home and family. Or perhaps you'd like to support a needy child through Haitian Christian Outreach or Compassion International. The church has connections with several mission groups if you need help finding a legitimate organization.

Want to do something in our own community? Our food pantry touches many lives and we always need donations of food and also workers to help pack and distribute these packages. Perhaps our office staff could connect you with a family that would be blessed by an anonymous gift from a brother or sister in Christ.

Think outside the gift box. Give with a cheerful heart as an act of worshiping our God and Savior. When you worship with all you have-- your voice, your hands, your heart, your time, your commitment, your wallet - God will bless your life in ways you would never expect.

Mal 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.
Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

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Worship Spotlight 10-19-09

David, who danced in the street in worship, is called “a man after God’s own heart.” This is the same David who was a shepherd boy that killed Goliath; he was a conqueror in battle and became King; he was also an adulterer and a murderer.

Psalms could be called the song book of the Bible. Although David didn’t write all of the psalms, many of them were written out of the events of David’s life. They run the gamut of praise, worship, adoration, frustration, fear, need, repentance, victory and hope. Reading and meditating on the Psalms is another way to prepare your heart and mind for worship – both personal worship and our corporate worship. Many of today’s songs are inspired by the Psalms.
Read and ponder on some of these and see if they inspire you to worship our God and King! Chapters 8, 24, 47, 63, 67, 84, 96, 100, 116, 139, 148 & 150.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNEhKLrsUfo

My Spiritual Life? by Theresa Zuber

Romans 12: 1-2 (NIV) 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I recently read that nowhere in the Bible does it mention the word “spiritual life.” How interesting. I even did a search to make sure that was true and sure enough… it’s not in there! Why? We often are concerned about our spiritual life, aren’t we? The problem is God makes no distinction between our everyday life and our spiritual life. God expects that our lives ARE spiritual. . We want to compartmentalize our relationship with God, our jobs, our hobbies, our dreams – but all of it is to be offered to God as our spiritual act of worship. He doesn’t just want part of our lives – he wants all of us, everyday in everything.

The Message says it this way: Romans 12:1-2 (The Message) 1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

God, help me to weave together the various parts of my life so that they reflect you in all aspects. Decrease my desire for those things that are apart from you and increase my desire for those things you have prepared for me to do. I trust that you have my best in mind. Guide me.