How full is your "worship tank" today?
Hello my dear friends. How about you? Are you running on empty when it comes to having a life-style marked by worship or have you found the secret to experiencing the kind of worship that fills your heart for more love for God?
I believe song writer Jackson Browne captured the raw feelings of a generation when he penned these words:
Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive
Trying not to confuse it with what you do to survive
In sixty-nine I was twenty-one and I called the road my own
I don't know when that road turned onto the road I'm on
Running on, running on empty
Running on, running blind
Running on, running into the sun
But I'm running behind
And at the end, Browne writes:
Running on
You know I don't even know what I'm hoping to find
Running behind
Running into the sun but I'm running behind
In this week's Psalms of Discipleship we will discover the need to keep our focus upon the Lord and worship Him. There are some wonderful promises given to the disciple who runs into the Son and worships Him.
Running with you,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #25
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 7 I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. 8 I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:7-8
Core Value: Worship
Worship, true worship, is always an interactive act of faith. God moves and overwhelms the heart and we, the disciple of Jesus, respond accordingly with a fresh sense of awe, wonder, and love for God. Biblical worship must never been seen as a passive, religious duty. Worship is all about cultivating one’s relationship with God. In their groundbreaking book, How People Grow, Cloud and Townsend offer this fresh and freeing perspective:
“Relationship is always more important than task. . . . Activity is bad when it takes the place of relationship rather than serving the purposes of relationship. Activity was designed by God to involve us in the work of life, not to replace closeness.” (Pg. 342)
May we never confuse the kind of activity that keeps us busy doing religious duties (this is driven by works and performance for Him) but leaves us far and away from experiencing an intimacy with the Lord (this is driven by grace and acceptance by Him).
Principle #25 & Personal Application: The quality disciple of Jesus Christ, with a heart of worship, has a laser-like focus upon the Lord.
• A heart of worship causes the believer to bless the Lord.
• A heart of worship keeps the Lord continually before the believer.
• A heart of worship takes great comfort in experiencing the Lord’s abiding presence.
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
Is my worship of the Lord a transforming experience?
What do I need to do today in order to keep the Lord as the focal point of my mind?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as an act of faith, I choose to bless You. Thank You for the counsel You lavish upon me. What a joy it is for me to always be learning more about You and of Your great love for me. By faith, and out of a desire to walk closer with You, I choose to set You continually before me. Because You are at my right hand, I will not be shaken. I will bask in Your presence as I worship You. May my life be a testimony of one who is intently focused upon You.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2010 All rights reserved.
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