Todays passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms%2043-45,%2049,%2084,%2085,%2087&version=NIV
Authentic Worship. It’s a phrase that Second Baptist has been using for the 11:11 service for a while now, but I’ve never really thought about it much until now. A few of the psalms in today’s reading paint a wonderful picture of where authentic worship begins. It begins in the heart – with a longing, a desire, a yearning for the presence of God.
In the first few verses of Psalm 84, we see a deep passion for worship. “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2). My ESV Study Bible says that Psalm 84 was sung in celebration of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem in order to worship at the temple. The psalmist has such an amazing admiration for the dwelling place of the Lord. He yearns to be in the presence of God at the temple among other worshipers.
We are so blessed to have free and easy access to worship in the presence of God. We can come together anywhere at any time for worship – in a tent, a parking lot, under a bridge or in church. The Spirit of God resides in the church…not the bricks and mortar that make up the church, but the people of the church. When we accepted Jesus as our Savior, the Spirit of God came to dwell inside of us. (Ephesians 1:13). He resides in you and me and when we come together in corporate worship His presence is magnified in amazing ways!
I have to admit that sometimes I catch myself entering worship feeling tired, distracted or burned out. At other times, I’m busy socializing, looking around to see who’s there, and chatting & laughing with my friends. When my passion gets squashed by all of these distractions, I lose my opportunity for authentic worship.
Authentic worship starts with an undeniable, insatiable, burning, yearning, desire to come before the Lord in praise and worship with a heart that is open to the teaching of the Word. What kinds of distractions are squashing your authentic worship? Has the desire to be in the presence of God faded away? Pray that God will renew your spirit. Pray that he will fill you with a passion and joy for worshipping in His presence with other worshippers. This is a prayer that He would love to answer with a resounding YES!!
Please feel free to share a personal experience, leave a comment, ask a question, share a prayer or share any thoughts that jumped out as you read today’s psalms on the blog. You don’t have to log in as a follower to comment – just click the link below and leave a comment as an anonymous follower. You can sign your name at the end of the comment if you’d like. We’d love to hear your thoughts!!
Today's post submitted by Kelly Coxe
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On the same theme as Sunday's Bridge class teachings by Chris, in which he demonstrated very well how rigid the rules of the tabernacle were so long ago, I like the point that WE are the church. We believers are the church, and the beautiful churches in the world are merely places to gather(although I love the beauty of so many churches such as Second Baptist, the unbelievably gorgeous St. Martin's Episcopal on Sage, etc.) and worship. These places are as shrines or tributes to the power and authority of God. I'm glad that in modern day society we don't(as much) have to deal with such a hierarchy in the church, and that it seems a place of freedom rather than a place of ritualistic bondage. All are welcome, all can approach the altar, and even the most righteous seem to be so much more humble than they were thousands of years ago.
ReplyDeleteEdward Murrow, a Christian artist, who is as much responsible for the U.S. National Park system as Teddy Roosevelt, said that he became an artist because he believed in "outdoor churches", and he described this idea as any of the beautiful places in an individual's mind.
**If Paul tells us to pray continually, then I also believe in constant gratitude, continual worship, and an ongoing awareness/sense of the works of our Lord.
**Has your prayer life grown a bit stale? Take a walk in the woods, bayou, etc.
For me, I see God even more clearly in the outdoors than I do inside of a structural church.
Peace and love!
Psalm 84:11 says, "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless."
ReplyDeleteHow great a verse this is. When you are tired and tempted and feel led to sin, remember this promise from God. We may receive the favor and honor on earth or we may not, but most assuredly we will receive it in heaven.
Press on, fight the good fight of faith. The Lord is our sun and shield, seek refuge in him when you are tired and stressed out.
As Peter writes, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7)
Correction--->I referenced Edward Murrow, but the artist about whom I wrote is actually john Muir...Just wanted to be correct...Another senior moment...**Google him if you would like to learn more of John and what he did for Yosemite National Park and for our America.
ReplyDeletePeace and love!!!