May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13
Category Archives: Devotional
The UnMaking of a Worship Disorder
Good grief! What a week this has been! Topsy turvy, stressful, conflicted, heavy. I struggled to get a grip on my thoughts, my choices and emotions.
And there it is…the making of a worship disorder. I was so focused on the stressful situation to an exaggerated point that it began to consume my mind, will and emotions. That is a worship disorder.
Before you can understand what a worship disorder is, you need to answer this question first, “What is worship?” I like how Tim Keller defines Worship:
“Worship is an act of ascribing ultimate value to something in a way that engages your entire being.”
Obviously, I had ascribed to something of “value”… but in a very negative way, so much so that it was palpable in my home environment. I had amazing support, faithful prayers, and words of affirmation from my family but it wasn’t until I purposefully and with intentionality transferred all of that which was robbing my joy over to God that my entire being became filled with peace and equilibrium.
Psalm 95:1-11 is the coach that got me moving out of a worship disorder
Verse 1 of that Psalm spoke to my emotions: “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” It requires emotion to sing, to dance, to shout joyfully because God is the rock of my salvation. And God gave me a song.
Verse 6 spoke to my will: “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” This took a humble volition, a choice to come, bow, and kneel before the Lord. This act was the surrender.
Verse 8 spoke to my mind: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart…” This meant I needed to actively listen to truth and choose to hear God speak through his Word. This is experiencing peace. This is experiencing forgiveness.
Bit by bit by bit the more I worship, the more it changes where my heart looks for peace and satisfaction.
The worship of the living God gives us peace and equilibrium to face the troubles of life. Worship engages our entire being in adoration and brings us to a sense of joy in God’s ravishing beauty. ~Tim Keller
FOUR Ways to Make Your Personal Worship Habit Forming
Photography by Donna Harris :: Remember the Year
Kickstarting a personal worship plan typically happens at the start of every new year. And I do this quite well the first month of the year. The rub is the remaining eleven months! Here are FOUR things I do to keep me in the habit of daily personal worship. Surely I can manage four things!
Personal worship is the daily time you spend devoting your attention exclusively to the glory of Christ and receiving the satisfaction he gives. That is why it is sometimes called “Devotions”. ~Randy Pope
1. Decide on a time: There is no right or wrong time but whatever time you decide on, do schedule it on your calendar and set a reminder alarm if necessary. You will be more consistent if you view your time with God as an appointment to be kept on your daily schedule. I’ve become a “morning person” after years of practice and have found that morning devotions {personal worship} strengthens me prior to the stress of the day. Try to find a morning time if you can. You’ll probably need a minimum of 20 minutes. I found this article about how to become a “morning person” by Michael Hyatt very helpful. Check it out.
2. Decide on a plan: It is important to have a plan for daily reading of the Bible. And there are hundreds of options to choose from so take time to discover what works for you and stick with it for the year. For me, reading the Bible in a year has always been a challenge, therefore, my new plan is to not to continue with my old plan which was the, “Reading the Bible in a Year for Three Years” plan. Check out YouVersion for a reading plan that fits your style. I’ve been using “Eat this Book”…I do hunger for more! You may find that you need a daily reminder, if so sign up for email prompts from Bible Gateway. This year I chose “Table Talk Devotions“ for the purpose of reading “on the fly” while waiting for an appointment or waiting for the crossing arms at the railroad track to raise. It’s refreshing to receive an email that compels me to step away from the harried pace. With a smart phone or tablet, you can access any of these plans with ease and flexibility to fit your rhythm of life.
3. Use a translation you can understand: My vote is to use the English Standard Version. “nuff said.”
4. You Do What You Want To Do: “You do what you want to do”…words of wisdom that my husband shared with our children over the years and continues to say today. I do what I want to do…I have time to work out, to play, to eat, to watch TV, to be on the internet, to write this post…I do what I want to do. Is God Lord over what I do? Have I committed to spending time with the One who gave His life for me? Where would I be without His grace, forgiveness and freedom from addictions? (I hate to think of the options.) To borrow from Nike…Just Do It! Make the commitment to spend time in God’s Book for 21 days. If you miss a day just start over. You will be more than encouraged after 21 days of personal worship!
Singing the Gospel: Lamb of God, We Fall Before Thee
A glimmer of red against the backdrop of pure white
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
I Corinthians 1:30
Can you see a glimmer of red against the backdrop of white when you read the lyrics of this great hymn? More Grace to daily live on Jesus’ merit.
“Lamb of God, We Fall Before Thee”
By Joseph Hart, 1759
Lamb of God, we fall before Thee,
Humbly trusting in Thy cross.
That alone be all our glory;
All things else are only dross.
Thee we own a perfect Savior,
Only source of all that’s good.
Every grace and every favor
Comes to us through Jesus’ blood.
Jesus gives us true repentance
By His Spirit sent from Heav’n;
Whispers this transporting sentence,
“Son, thy sins are all forgiv’n.”
Faith He grants us to believe it,
Grateful hearts His love to prize;
Want we wisdom? He must give it,
Hearing ears and seeing eyes.
Jesus gives us pure affections,
Wills to do what He requires,
Makes us follow His directions,
What He commands, He inspires.
All our prayers and all our praises,
Rightly offered in His Name—
He that dictates them is Jesus;
He that answers is the same.
When we live on Jesus’ merit,
Then we worship God aright,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Then we savingly unite.
Hear the whole conclusion of it;
Great of good, whate’er we call,
God, or King, or Priest, or Prophet,
Jesus Christ is All in All.
Develop a Habit of Change
My one resolution for 2013 is:
Develop a Habit of Change
I don’t want to be satisfied with the status quo nor do I want to have a false sense of security with my worldly possessions…to become so blindly contented with my surroundings that I cannot accept change or that I would stop wanting to change. And that is a scary thought.
Why do I need to develop a habit of change? Because I am easily distracted and truly fear that I will atrophy without a plan to develop a new routine, a new rhythm that will excite a movement towards change.
I recently read this:
“The way you spend the first 21 days of 2013 will set the pattern for how you spend the next 344 days of the year.” ~Carey Nieuwhof
That is really true. And from personal experience, I know that I must be intentional about developing a habit of change and the best time to start is now.
Here are five areas that I want to improve in…to develop a habit of change:
Develop a Habit of Daily Personal Worship
Developing this spiritual discipline is crucial for becoming mature and equipped. It is not just a religious thing to do. It is a spiritual channel through which God’s glory, grace and truth continually flow into my life. To develop a lifelong habit of embracing Jesus in daily personal worship, I will do this for 21 days and will repeat for another 21 days and another…
Develop a Habit of Mentoring
Establishing a monthly routine of consistently meeting with one or two people to mentor. This will take discipline to set aside a few hours every month to meet with a friend(s). I like seeing the names of friends written on my calendar! On the flip side of this, I need to be mentored as well. I’m very encouraged and blessed to have a friend write my name on her calendar!
Develop a Habit of Organized Journaling
I keep a small notebook handy and carry it with me when I travel (a lot of great ideas come to mind when sitting in an airplane), I tend to clutter the top of my desk with post-it notes (creative ideas jotted down) and I always use the “Notes” app on my iPhone or iPad during meetings. I need a simple solution to stay organized in this area…so I will learn how to use Evernote.
Develop a Habit of Hobby
I will focus on improving skills in two creative outlets: water-color painting and photography. I’ve grown to appreciate the fact that God is very creative and the more I learn about Creator God, the more creative I become.
Develop a Habit of Storytelling
I want to be intentional about telling my children and my grand children wonderful stories about the history of our family. We have been rescued. We are continually rescued.
“Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:4 (The Message)
“Stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother’s knee. We’re not keeping this to ourselves, we’re passing it along to the next generation–God’s fame and fortune, the marvelous things he has done.” Psalm 78:1-4 (The Message)
How about you? What areas in your life do you want to change? What kind of habits are you developing?
Sunday: A Child’s Perspective of the Nativity
I love how kids think!
A more realistic view of the nativity…everyone focused on Jesus. We should arrange our nativity with every figure facing Jesus instead of a perfect display.
This is a profound story!
To teach in the home:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1–14
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him. Colossians 1:15–22
AMEN!
Be Persistent
I recently bought the devotional book, Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones to give to my children to encourage them as they establish a rhythm of family devotions with their kids. This is a remarkable devotional book with profound spiritual truths from the Bible told in a conversational tone. I greatly appreciate how theologically rich it is and yet so easy to understand. I think the grown ups reading the book to their children may love it just as much or even more than their kids.
I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite out of the 101 devotions, but what prompted me to write this post was when I read the title of Devotion #65 (Page 146) that simply says, “Nagging God.” It’s about praying…constantly talking to God…never stopping. The author poses a question and then gives us the answer…
“Is it okay to nag God? And pester him? God says we MUST!”
I have a friend going through a very difficult and challenging time. Whenever she asks me for advice, I encourage her to be persistent with praying to God. I can’t solve the problem or purchase a quick cure-all solution, but I can be persistent with my encouragement, mercy and care for her while gently reminding her that God is never tired of listening to her. Our problems are not bigger than God. And while we are being persistent with finding a right and just solution, God is even more persistent with rescuing us and pouring out more grace in our lives for his glory. I’m reminded about The Parable of the Persistent Widow:
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:1–8 (ESV)
The widow persisted beyond what is comfortable yet she did not lose heart. If an unjust judge finally grants the window’s “prayer,” how much more will God, who is all and completely just, hear our prayers? God will not and cannot grow tired of us constantly talking with him. He is a big God, a good God and He is a King–
“–and Kings love to do marvelous, powerful things.”
So yes, my friend, it is okay to nag and pester God. Please do so! Be persistent. God is always there and he loves it when you ask him for great things!
I think I shall give my friend a copy of this book. It will encourage her heart to sing.
There is an affiliate link on this page. If you purchase the book using that link, I will receive a small stipend.
A grand and messy Advent Eve
Gosh, I was excited for Saturday to arrive! I had been anticipating the arrival of Advent for weeks and weeks! I couldn’t wait to place our Advent wreath on the dining room table and light our first candle. I couldn’t wait to pick out a tree with my husband. We had set aside Saturday, Advent Eve, to do this. And it was going to be a great day preparing for Advent. Even pulling boxes and boxes of decorations out of basement storage and hauling them upstairs was going to be fun. We went to sleep Friday night with happy hearts…
We woke up Saturday morning with the grumbles…well, that’s not completely accurate…I (not we) woke up with the worse case of grumbles.
I knew what was waiting for me in the basement. Those boxes and boxes and boxes of Christmas stuff. You see, I’ve been collecting Christmas decorations to deck the walls and halls and bathrooms and children’s rooms and family room and kitchen and…there are a lot of boxes.
How many little Christmas trees with tiny lights does one family need? I counted 12. (It is a nice number…Jesus had 12 disciples. I happen to have 12 trees.)
And the grumbling and irritation increased with preparing for the glorious start of Advent.
There packed neatly on the basement shelves, was a large box of gold ornaments. Gold ornaments of all sizes, shapes and design. There was a box of red ornaments…and ditto what I said about the gold ornaments. And a box of blue and purple and silver and white. Plus beads and ribbon to drape gracefully around the tree. A variety of tree skirts, too. Unfortunately, I also have plastic holly bushes, plastic holly vine, twigs with fake sugar glued on to give a sparkle to those plastic holly bushes, fake poinsettia and I can’t overlook the gold angels…wire sculptured angels and some ceramic angels with their wings opened over the overstuffed snowmen, which were guarded by wooden toy soldiers. I have a few metal reindeer, too.
(sigh)
And the grumbles just grew worse as I became buried under the debris of Christmases past. I seriously needed to get my heart in gear about Advent!
To wrap up this story in a neat little package, we did rummage through all of the stuff collected from years past and picked out the ornaments to use this year.
The grumbles began to go away as the lights were placed on the tree and the magic of Christmas was there. Right there in the beauty of that eight foot tree with the lovely beautiful glass ornaments and sparkling glass ice cycles hanging gracefully from branches mingled with the sweet smell of a fresh Douglas Fir.
“What a beautiful tree! I just love the beginning of Advent!”, I said happily to my sweet husband. The grumbles had begun to disappear as I gazed at this creation. I was also quite proud of myself for deciding to unload, I mean “give away” all of that extra Christmas stuff, plus I decided to be content with just one tree. I told God that all of that stuff was going away and I would be content with just a little bit of stuff, such as those gorgeous beautiful glass ornaments hanging on one Christmas tree.
“Yes, now my heart is ready for Advent.” So I thought.
I was no longer mumbly grumbly. And after a long day of “preparing my heart” for Advent (all of the above)…I was exhausted. Evening had come, a warm fire was glowing and our family room illuminated only by the glow of the fire and our beautiful tree gleaming with hundreds of white lights reflecting off of shiny glass ornaments. My husband had fallen asleep on the couch and I was enjoying the peace of gazing at our Christmas tree and thinking how sweet it is to welcome the first day of Advent. Our tree is beautiful!
And then it happened…
CRASH! The tree fell over!
I SCREAMED!
Don was jolted out of a peaceful sleep and bolted off the couch.
Yep, it was a mess with those beautiful glass things shattered on the floor, fragments of glass imbedded in the couch (the tree nearly fell on Don) broken glass and broken branches and lights hanging off and water saturating the carpet…
Don and I stood there looking at the mess and staring wide-eyed and speechless at each other. (sigh)
I spoke out loud to God and said, “I get it, God. I get it! It’s all yours! Advent is all about JESUS. This tree is not what it’s all about. Those beautiful glass ornaments do not reflect your glory.” And I began to laugh.
The messiness of Advent Eve brought my heart to a true place of worship and repentance. Advent is celebrating God keeping his promise to send a savior, Christ the Lord. God is a covenant keeper.
“Our God in heaven, thank you that you did not remain there. You could have justly condemned us for our guilt, our devotion to idols, our constant self-seeking, self-absorbed, self-aggrandizing lives. But you did not. You came.” ~Tim Keller (from 843 Acres, The Devotional Blog of The Park Forum: Advent: The Feet That Bring Good News.
By the way, a friend told me about some families that were unable to have a decorated Christmas tree…they do now!
Donna Harris‑More Grace 