The Beauty of the Blood
During a private time with the Lord, I
received: I am the Mighty One of Israel
who answers you, the Holy One in your midst. Do not fear, for I am here, Your Protector. I slaughter your enemies. I feed and clothe you. I watch
over you with great care. I love you. I comfort you in times of distress. I am yours, your God, your Lover, your
Friend, your Provider. I speak and creation moves, shifting to My command. I am the Voice of Many Waters.
I come to you today. Write. Let the handwriting
be on the wall. Babylon is fallen. I have overcome. I overcome every enemy with the greatness of My power…I am
a God of surprises. I act suddenly, unexpectedly. I am most creative, don't you agree?...
Spikenard: Waste or Worship? Read
John 12.1-8, Mark 14.3-11, and Matthew 26.6-13. In this account we see an alternative: waste or worship. Yes, Martha worked, Lazarus witnessed, and Mary worshiped.
The resurrection of Lazarus followed by this supper with the One who is the Resurrection and the Life leads to
a new act of worship. Worship is always the essence of glory....
Remembrance and Worship Luke 22.19
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke
it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
There are three ways in which the believer
and the believing community are called upon to remember in the act of worshiping.
• The worshiper remembers God.
• The worshiper remembers God’s covenants and their requirements.
• The worshiper remembers God’s mighty deeds and acts of creation/redemption in the past....
...
Lament: From Wrenching Pain to Worship A hidden
hell. That’s what I call those times when we put up a good front to others, but inside, we’re dying, we’re struggling,
we’re in the wilderness in our broken world, and we’re in an anguish no one else seems to understand. They’re not in our shoes. We’re walking through the valley
of the shadow of death, and we haven’t gotten to that place where we fear no evil.
At these times in our lives, friends "don’t
want to hear it." Okay, rejoice
with those who rejoice, but weep with those who weep? What happens when our laughter turns to mourning and our
joy turns to gloom?...
Broken for the Bride How can we worship God as God with so much suffering
and evil surrounding us? Is God lacking in goodness, deficient in power? Does He want to stop suffering but can’t,
or could, but will not? Go to any ER in any hospital and you will find pause to reflect.
A woman screams in agonizing pain. We can hear her from down the hall. Another lies in the fetal position, suffering
from Alzheimer’s disease. Another whimpers. Many curse God and desire to die, or at least "to get this over
with." More find faith collapsing like a house of cards, despite the wonderful care of many caring nurses
and doctors and hospital staff.
You may be living with the results of
childhood deprivation or a congenital disability. Or suddenly poverty or grief or adverse weather strikes. Divorce,
depression, loneliness. No one goes through this life unscathed....
Serve the Lord with Gladness What
do you do when God calls for spikenard? He
was calling me to be anointed for burial, like the grain of wheat that must fall into the ground and die before
it can sprout and rise fruitful in new life. He is calling the Body of Christ to the same today. The spices of
burial included myrrh, aloes, and spikenard....
Declare the Glory of God Yes, it’s
August and 90-91 degrees. The A/C isn’t up to snuff. When my husband, Pastor Jim, looked at the A/C, Lavender,
our gray and yellow cat, got into the attic and wouldn’t come out for 8 days. The car decided to stall out in the
middle of the highway, and basically, it’s been "one of those weeks."
Everyone seems to be having difficulties, some much worse than our little scenario. In such times, we learn to
watch, wait, worship, and bring to God the wealth of His Word that He might perform His will according to His good
pleasure. When things get "sticky," it’s time to declare boldly the glory of God....
Connect Through Giving Thanks In times past it has been easy to regard relationship
with God as a mere observance of outward ceremonies.
Going to church, singing songs, seeing people baptized, taking communion, bringing offerings—all these can become
nothing more than rites and rituals, the performing of duties without truly connecting with God or with God’s people. Today, that will not suffice. God wants more. You and
I need more lest we cast dishonor upon the name of God. Today, God is calling us to true spiritual worship, to
prayer and praise with thanksgiving.
The Day Dawns Be careful. Watch and pray. I am coming on the clouds with My
holy angels. And will you be ready at My appearing?
Take care. You go here and there, but to Me you do not come. I AM. Besides Me there is no Savior. I AM. Source
and Supplier. Who else?
Worship Me. Am I not the Creator worthy of your worship? Who in all creation is greater than I? Even Lucifer cannot
be matched to My glory. In pride he thought to be as I, but I AM the LORD. So he fell....
Remember the LORD Your God People wonder. "Where are we after the resurrection
of Christ?" "What did it mean
for Christ to ascend into heaven to the right hand of the Father?" And "What does it mean for us today?"
When facing an uncertain future, we must remember that God is eternal and unchangeable
(Malachi 3.6), that He is not at the mercy of anything or anyone else, that He is not defined by any external condition.
The Revelation reveals Jesus Christ as the Lord of history. It is a book about rule, with God’s throne being the
place of God’s official court, the place where He receives official worship....