pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 30, 2017

Declare

Declarations are usually made by officials.
The mayor of a city will declare a day to honor a visiting dignitary or an outstanding citizen.  The leader of a country can declare a day for prayer, or a moratorium on some unwanted behavior.  Upon reentry into one country, when going through customs, a traveler to some other country will have to declare the goods he or she purchased.

We may not see ourselves as leaders or dignitaries or outstanding citizens and we haven’t been anywhere or bought anything to demand a trip through customs.  Why are we commanded to declare something?  What power do we possess to seize a day in honor of someone we love?  Who will listen if we declare a day of prayer?  What foreign goods do we have in our possession?

Commanded to Declare
In the most unlikely of circumstances, we are invited, really we are commanded, to declare the glory of the Lord!  The first day of the week has been declared to be the Lord’s Day, an accumulated day of Rest and Worship (Old Covenant) and a day to Celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus (New Covenant. )  When we declare His glory, we are choosing to share in the joy of the church and in the faithfulness of God to His people through His covenants.

It is important that we open our mouths to make this declaration.

  • There is a time for silent meditation; this is not that time.
  • Some moments call for inner contemplation; these are not those moments.

The Lord’s day is a day to declare with a loud voice in the company of the saints the wonders of God for all to hear.

We do this best with songs.
Songs of declaration are not songs about us; they are about the Lord.  The words are filled with truth about who God is and what He has done.  We proclaim His excellence, integrity, holiness, mercy, faithfulness, truth, power, and His love.  We must lift our voices over the noise of a fallen creation.  Our unison song must penetrate the din of lies all around us.  Our soaring harmonies must stretch from low bass to highest soprano to dominate the sound spectrum, allowing no other melodies and chords and cadences to be heard.

The Song of the Heart
Before our song can overcome the cacophony of sin, it must originate in the deepest part of us—our hearts where Jesus lives by the power of the Spirit.

  • When our hearts have seen the King, we can witness to His glory with our voices.
  • When our minds are filled with Him, our mouths will be filled with His praise.

Those who do not know Him simply cannot declare His glory the way those who know God in their hearts can.  It is as if the Holy Spirit amplifies the song of the redeemed so that all can hear, from the enemies of God to the friends of God.

Seek His glory in your heart.  Declare His glory with your lips.  Make the joyful noise that only you can make.  Use the voice He has given you and use it to the full.  There will be time to contemplate.  There will be moments of meditation.  But find a time early on this Lord’s Day to declare His glory!

Scriptures:
Ephesians 3:10-12
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
1 Peter 2:4-6; 9-10
As you come to him, the living Stone-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Psalm 96 NKJV
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Psalm 33:1-3
Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
Psalm 47:1-2
Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!

Prayer:
Glory to God
From the Book of Common Prayer
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for Your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; You are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For You alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Songs of Declaration:
We Declare That the Kingdom of God Is Here
Words and Music: Bob Fitts

We declare that the Kingdom of God is here
We declare that the Kingdom of God is here
Among you! Among you !

The blind see! The deaf hear!
The lame men are walking!
Sicknesses flee at His voice
The dead live again And the poor hear
The good news!
Jesus is King so rejoice!

We declare that the Kingdom of God is here
We declare that the Kingdom of God is here
Among you! Among you !

We Declare Your Majesty
Words and Music: Joseph Garlington

We declare your majesty!
We proclaim that your name is exalted;
For You reign magnificently, rule victoriously,
And Your power is shown throughout the earth.

And we exclaim, our God is mighty!
Lift up your name, for you are holy.
Sing it again, all honour and glory,
In adoration we bow before your throne.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 23, 2017

Throne-room

To worship the Lord Jesus is to be found in a crowd, not lost in one.
We belong here with the angels, seraphim, and winged creatures with multiple eyes and faces.

  • Without our voices the choir is incomplete.
  • Our hearts beat in time with the multiplied meters of eternity as if they themselves were eternal—for they are!
  • Formed in His likeness, we gather with other hot-hearted worshipers of earth and sky and the heavens beyond, to make the music of worship.
  • The doorposts shake in sympathetic vibration, matching pitch with the multitudes.
  • The flaming of so many ignited hearts fills the Throne Room of Almighty God with smoke.
  • No conflagration, this, no fire of destruction, it is an eternal flame rising from creation to mingle with the flaming Shekinah of the Creator, bathing the Throne Room in living light.

The Majesty of the One
Even with the roar of worship and the sensual overload of lightnings and thunders and instruments and voices, we hardly notice each other. All we can see is the majesty of the One-Who-sits-on-the-Throne. All our hearts can hear is the wonder of His voice singing over us. His song is a song of love and covenant and peace, of victory and the end of conflict—a brilliant counterpoint to the song of the angels and the church.

We who think of ourselves as earthbound, need to see beyond our sanctuaries to the Throne Room of God, for where we worship Him, He is enthroned there. We must sense the presence of the church but stretch beyond our five senses to return the Divine Embrace of Jesus, for when we worship Him, He is with us, close enough to touch. We must enter the circle of the One-in-Three and let the mutual love of Father/Son/Spirit whirl around and through us for this is the source of worship.

On the Lord’s Day, let us reach out and touch the Lord, for He is passing by. There is a touch that only He can give, a word that only He can speak, and a name, our name, that only He can whisper as we pray.

How wonderful to be found in a crowd.

Scriptures:
Revelation 7:9-17 NIV
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes — who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Isaiah 6:1-7 NIV
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Hebrews 12:22 NIV
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Lord and King, King of kings, Lord of lords, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, who can cease to give You Praise? Who can dare to be silent before such glory? Yet silent we must be when You speak. Somehow words from Your Throne room echo in our hearts. We want to run the aisles of glory but we dare not, for it is in our stillness that we know that You are God. With bursting hearts we bow before Your Majesty. Awash in Your glory, we are healed. Thank You, Lord! Amen.

Song:
Majesty
Words and Music: Jack Hayford

Majesty! Worship His majesty!
Unto Jesus, be all glory, honor and praise.
Majesty! Kingdom authority,
Flows from His throne, unto His own, His anthem raise.

So exalt, lift up on high the Name of Jesus.
Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus the King.
Majesty, worship His majesty!
Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

April 22, 2017

Giving

Relax. This is not about money.
This is about something much more valuable than the currency of any nation on earth. This is about the heart. More than a muscle or a pump for pushing blood round and round inside of us, the heart is who we really are. Our inmost thoughts and deepest desires are what the heart really pumps through us.

And the heart is what God wants us to give. He gave His heart to us—not just sharing His image with us—but sending Jesus to save us. The Gospel is the heart business.

The heart can deceive.

  • A rotten heart spoils worship that is otherwise flawless.
  • A deceptive heart creates a fantasy world for us to live in, not a real one.
  • We believe the lies our hearts tell us and build our lives on this brand of shifting sand.
  • When the storms come and the waters rise, our hearts are swept away with our furniture leaving us wondering how God could let something like this happen to us!

But there is another way to live.
Because Creator God has sent His Heart—King Jesus—to live in our world and conquer it for us,

  • His truth can fill our hearts.
  • Then, with the guidance of the Abiding Spirit within, our hearts start telling us the truth.
  • The truth goes coursing through our veins into every bit and bone, molecule and muscle of our being.
  • We believe the truths our redeemed hearts tell us and build our lives on this brand of solid rock.
  • Storms still come and waters still rise, but our hearts and all our accumulated stuff stay where they are, secure in the grace of God.

All of this to say this: When we gather with the saints of God to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, it is not really about receiving—it is about giving—giving our hearts to God. We are commanded to give the Lord the “glory due unto His name.” That’s a lot of glory! We can’t do that on auto-pilot. It takes our whole heart and our complete focus. We should not be distracted by anything or anyone. It is time to obey the Great Commandment, to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

With all the songs and the confessions and the prayers and actions of worship adoration, we are giving to God the thanksgiving and praise—the glory!—He deserves.

We are giving Him our hearts. After all He gave His to us!

Scriptures:
Psalm 29
Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; the Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; The Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!” The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever. The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.
Revelation 4:8-1; 19:4-7 NIV
Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!” Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 13:15-16 NKJV
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Colossians 3:17 NKJV
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Acts 20:35 NKJV
… remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I cannot add to Your stature with my praise. The honor and glory I give You does not increase Your magnificence at all. When I give You glory, my soul sees Your splendor more clearly. My heart hears the music of Your Throne Room and sings along with abandon. I come boldly to the Throne of Grace bearing my petitions, knowing You hear me and care for my needs. I cannot add to Your glory but I can express it to the best of my ability. Let the measure of my praises be “the Glory Due Your Name!” Amen.

Song:
Give unto the Lord
Words from Psalm 29; Music: Steve Phifer

Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due His name.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Give Him blessing. Give Him honor.
Give Him glory. Give Him power.
Give unto the Lord the glory due His name.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

We give You blessing. We give You honor.
We give You glory. We give You power.
We give unto You, Lord, the glory due Your name.
We worship You, Lord, in the beauty of holiness.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions April, Devotions

Monday, Bethany

Bethany

A Large House
It was a large house, signifying wealth, but it was also a warm and welcoming house, signifying wealth of a more substantial kind. Martha ran this house she shared with her sister, Mary, and her now famous brother, Lazarus. It didn’t matter that Jesus traveled in such a large company. Martha was always up to the task because she kept her focus on Jesus. Those fishermen could make do the best they could; Jesus was the one who mattered. He must be made comfortable. He needed his rest from these daily forays into Jerusalem.

On this night, Mary, Martha’s sister, the quiet one, suddenly rose from her accustomed position at Jesus’ feet. No one paid her any mind as she left the room or when she returned.

The aroma of the contents of a broken alabaster jar filled the room.
Few of the men noticed as Mary produced this jar of ointment, a concoction ripe with pungent scent. The men were busy talking, eating. Only Jesus saw her steal away to her hiding place, find her most precious possession, break the container and lovingly anoint his feet with the spice. But the aroma gave her away, pulling back her curtain of privacy and thrusting her to the public stage.

The other men were not pleased.
They rebuked her. This simply was not the best way to use this valuable commodity. It was worth a year’s wages to the common man. Once committed to this line of reasoning, an alternative use had to be proposed. Let’s see, ah yes, the poor, always a handy cause to plead to gain the Master’s favor. The air was heavy with the smell of the ointment and with anticipation of how Jesus would handle this foolish woman.

Around that table were men whose names would become known throughout the world for centuries to come. At this moment they were obscure little men with glimmers of greatness that only Jesus could see.

  • Among them was John, so filled with fun and free with emotion;
  • Peter, his opposite, so rough and full of pride;
  • Thomas whose knife-like mind always sliced away the non essentials in an issue;
  •  James, John’s mischievous brother, a “Son of Thunder” he was called;
  • Matthew the former tax collector;
  • the other Galileans, and…
  • Judas, who kept the money.

This was a diverse group, hand selected, not for what they were, but for what they could become, if they centered their lives on God. All were silent now, waiting for Jesus to answer their question. Mary had wasted a valuable resource, hadn’t she?

“Leave her alone,” Jesus said. “Why are you bothering her?
She has done a beautiful thing to me.”

He went on to say that she had done what she could, that she had anointed His body for burial, and that wherever the Gospel is preached, her story would be told.

The men were ashamed. He had taken the woman’s side over theirs. But as they listened, something began to stir within them. It always did when He spoke. Soon, their embarrassment was forgotten and before long all but one was wishing that he had something valuable to pour over Jesus’ feet.

Scriptures
John 12:1-8; Mark 14:3-9
Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in the quiet moments of life, let me learn to sit at Your feet like Mary of Bethany. When it is time to work, let me learn to manage life’s kitchen like Mary’s sister, Martha. Through all of life, help me remember the tomb from which You called me, like their brother, Lazarus. The grave clothes gone, let me inhale the free air of grace that is Your presence. Above all, please be welcomed in my heart at all times, like the house at Bethany. All for You, Lord Jesus, All for You! Amen.

Song:
Broken and Spilled Out
Words and Music: Bill and Gloria Gaither

1. One day a plain village woman

Driven by love for her Lord
Recklessly poured out a valuable essence
Disregarding the scorn
And once it was broken and spilled out
A fragrance filled all the room
Like a pris’ner released from his shackles
Like a spirit set free from the tomb

Refrain 1:
Broken and spilled out Just for love of you Jesus
My most precious treasure Lavished on Thee
Broken and spilled out And poured at Your feet
In sweet abandon Let me be spilled out
And used up for Thee

2. Lord You were God’s precious treasure
His loved and His own perfect Son
Sent here to show me The love of the Father
Just for love it was done
And though You were perfect and holy
You gave up Yourself willingly
You spared no expense for my pardon
You were used up and wasted for me

Refrain 2:
Broken and spilled out Just for love of me Jesus
God’s most precious treasure Lavished on me
You were broken and spilled out And poured at my feet
In sweet abandon Lord You were spilled out and used up for Me
In sweet abandon, let me be spilled out And used up for Thee

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, February

February 7, 2017

Breath

It is more than air, this breath we breathe.
There is something in us, the breath of life, that was imparted to us at the moment of the creation of Adam, that is different from the breath of animals. With this transfer from the being of God to the lifeless form of Adam, freshly fashioned from earth, Adam became a living being, a living soul, as the Old King James Version says. This was a separate act of creation; God spoke everything else into existence but Adam and Eve were handcrafted by Him. One of the definitions of “breathed into” is “inflated.” Spiritually, Adam was like a deflated balloon, flat, useless, full of nothing. But the breath of God changed all that. This is so personal, this personal inflation of a created being with the breath of its Creator.

Why? Why a separate creative process? Why so personal an impartation of life from God to mankind?

“The One Most Beloved”
There is a biblical term that has found its way into common use meaning for “the one most beloved;” “the apple of my eye.” God calls Israel this and expects us to consider His Word to be the apple of our eye.” “Most beloved” status in the heart of God is the result of this moment in the Garden of Eden when Adam came to life. This breath of life has been passed down to each of us, the children of Adam and Eve. We are designed to thrive on the breath of God, the Holy Spirit. One of Hebrew words for spirit is ruach, meaning the breath of God—His very life!

ruach OT:7307, “breath; air; strength; wind; breeze; spirit; courage; temper; Spirit.” (Vine’s Dictionary)

The breath in us is God’s living Spirit!

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” the Psalmist says. Praise is our purpose, the reason we have breath to breathe. We praise Him with:

  • Our songs of praise and worship,
  • Our witness to His story and His grace in our lives,
  • The integrity of our hearts,
  • The work of our hands, and
  • The obedience of our walk with Him.

So, when the music starts and you are given a song to sing with the Saints—go for it! Give it all you’ve got.

This is the reason you have breath within you!

Scriptures:
Genesis 2:7 NKJV
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Psalm 150 NIV
Praise the LORD.Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
Mark 12:29-31 NIV
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I will praise You today! I will praise You whether I like or even know the songs we are asked to sing. My praise shall be as authentic in me as my breath. At Your holy inflation, my life was filled with Your life. When sin had caught me and left me struggling for air, You rescued me and returned me to Your Holy Presence, where I can breathe the clear air of heaven. I will not waste my breath on curses, or vile words, or empty musings that do not smell of Your sweetness. I will use the breath of life within me to sing of Your virtues, to proclaim Your excellence, to shout Your praise and to tell Your story! All for You, Lord Jesus! Amen.

Song:
Let Everything That Has Breath
Words and Music: Rich Gomez
(from Ron Kenoly’s album  “Lift Him Up”)

Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord
And let the living proclaim
Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord

Let every instrument Sound His praise
As all His people adore
Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord

I will open up my mouth And He will fill it with praise
I will magnify His name The name that stands
Above all names is Jesus

High sounding cymbals and trumpets of brass
The sound of one accord
Let everything that has breath
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord

My Lord has put a new song in my heart
It’s a song of praise to my God
And everyone who hears it will rejoice
Let everything that has breath
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 31

Worship

Today is a day for worship.
It is the day the Lord has made! Yesterday we discussed the call to rest to the refreshing of our bodies, minds, and hearts. We must garner our strength for what we have the honor to do today. We will worship. We will minister to the Lord! He has filled us to overflowing, so we will let our thanksgiving and adoration overflow. He has been faithful to us, so we will be faithful to Him on His day. He has ministered to us and now we will minister to Him.

What does it mean to minister to God?
It is very different from the common understanding of ministry. We have learned to think in terms of the strong ministering to the weak. If that were the only way ministry flowed—from the strong to the weak, the able to the unable, the rich to the poor, the well to the sick—it would make no sense to say that we can minister to the Lord. He is never weak or unable or poor or sick, and if He were, we would be powerless to help Him.

But worship is ministry to the Lord.
We who are weak respond to His strength. Because we are unable, we rejoice in His limitless ability. In our poverty, we extol his vast riches—not the paltry residue of earthly commerce, but the priceless resources of all creation. We press through our illness to touch the hem of His garment and as our worship flows to Him, His healing flows to us.

Just as a child can delight the heart of a loving parent, the Lord Jesus delights in our gratitude. He takes joy in our offerings of music and speech when they emanate from a sincere heart. He responds to our worship just as He did the alabaster jar Mary of Bethany lavished on Him. “Leave her alone! She has done a beautiful thing to me. She has done what she could.”

It is amazing to think that we can minister to the Lord. We can do this incredible thing because He has ministered to us. He has taken away our sins. He has given us His Spirit to dwell in sweet communion with our spirits. His loving-kindness has brought us to this day—a day to minster to the Lord, to give him the glory due His name and to worship Him in the splendor of His holiness.

Scriptures:
Psalm 29:1-2 NKJV
Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Hebrews 13:15-16
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I hear much talk about worship these days, what people like and don’t like, what they want and don’t want. You know my heart. You know my list of what I like and want; there is no need to pretend you don’t know these things. What I like and what I want in today’s worship will be the very first thing I will sacrifice to you. Take my preferences and my expectations of men and burn them on Your altar of fire. Holy Spirit help me keep my focus on Jesus. Enable me to set my affections on Jesus. I want to open my heart to You and empty it of all it contains. Then, may You fill it with nothing but passion for You. All for You, Lord Jesus, Amen.

Song:
I Worship You, Almighty God
Words and Music: Sondra Corbett

I worship You, Almighty God, There is none like You.
I worship You, O Prince of peace, That is what I want to do.
I give You praise for You are my righteousness.
I worship You, Almighty God, There is none like You.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved