Worship for the Weekday
CROSSROADS
My wonderful husband sent this to me last night. It was waiting for me this morning when I opened my email. We are standing at several crossroads in our lives and this poem offers me encouragement and a reminder that we are never alone in our journey.
I hope these words offer you hope as well.
CROSSROADS
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I come to You, oh Loving Lord
With decisions that I must make.
I'm asking for a gentle push
Toward the path that I must take.
I know not where I goeth,
Please keep me from going astray.
At the crossroads of this journey,
Guide me down the path You lay.
If I wander to the left
When I should have wandered right,
Keep those paths real close together
So that I may cross when back in sight.
Widen the path beneath my feet
So that I will not slip and fall.
Walk me toward eternal life,
For I do not want to crawl.
I know You won't forsake me
As Your earthly children sometimes do.
Lead me down the path of rightousness,
For it will lead me straight to You.
B.G. Wetherby
enchantedmountainpoems.com
Chosen Before the Creation of the World
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Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
1 John 2:15-17
15. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. 17. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever.
1 Peter 1:18-20
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
I am very moved by verse 17 from 1 John: “And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever.” Combine that with 1 Peter: “He [Christ] was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.” How can one not find comfort in these words. They offer us a reminder and the assurance that God is in control of the world. He has already laid out the future. This present time in which we live is merely the blink of an eye in God’s view of time.
Believing this to be so, I think we ought to make the best of this time we have. The world was planned out long ago, with many divergent futures. What future are we creating in our life times? What things of this world are we lusting after instead of Christ? I have many, admittedly. The timing of these verses for me is impeccable! God knew that would be the case! I have been on a life long journey and struggled with several issues that have held me back from being the person I believe God designed me to be. I have one last stronghold to turn over to him and I am holding on to it for dear life!
Don’t get me wrong, I have numerous character flaws and fall into un-Christian behaviors and thoughts more often than I care to admit. But this one stronghold is the last bastion of my ego and my demand to lust after things of this world. I am working my way up to turning it over to God. This final act of submission will be life-changing I know. As a human being though, I’ve had quite a bit of change in the last year and I’m not sure I’m up for any more! Of course these verses tell me how silly I am to fight it!
I have a great deal yet to be accomplished. I hope to live a long, fruitful and productive life. The only way that will happen is by turning my life over to my creator. He wants all of my life – not part of it – all of it. He is waiting and watching for me to make my move. As my resolve strengthens, he rejoices.
What are the strongholds in your life? What is preventing you from living fully in Christ? What lusts of the flesh and lust of the eyes and pride of life are preventing you from being the person God designed you to be?
My prayer today is that you examine your life, your possessions, your lusts and your desires from God’s vantage point. And that you take a step toward desiring His promises above all others.
Mary
The House of the God of Jacob
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Isaiah 2:2-4
2. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3. and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
These verses move me every time I read them. As a product of the Vietnam War era, I have detested war and the senseless waste of human life that is inevitable. Even in the situations where the decision to enter into a war is made with much thought and prayer, I wonder what enters the mind of someone who makes that decision. Why? What is gained? Land? Resources? Power? What?
Is our country really better off sacrificing an entire generation of young men and women? Is the world a better place because human beings kill each other? What in this world is worth a human life? I know I sound as if I’m on a soapbox this morning, but I have been one of those “anti-war nuts” my entire life. I recognize that we have been killing each other since Cain and Abel. And there will probably always be a war somewhere in the world for some reason that someone feels is valid.
Please don’t confuse by abhorrence of war with disdain at military and other individuals who are willing to risk their lives to keep us safe. I admire and honor them and am eternally grateful for their patriotism and personal sacrifice. I just detest the fact that wars are waged at all. I grieve at the need for a military to protect us. Actually protecting us doesn’t bother me – it’s NOT protecting of the other weaker, smaller countries that bothers me. If we are a powerful country, and call ourselves the most powerful country in the world, we need to be using our power to promote peace. We need to figure out a way to end starvation and murder and HIV/AIDS and all the other things that are killing millions of fellow human beings.
I pray continually that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it. As Christians, it is our responsibility to walk in the ways of God, to allow the Law to seep into our minds and hearts, and to invite Christ into our lives. God shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
I know I am being very “political” this morning. I don’t know exactly why, except that I continue to hear each day that today was the most deadly day in Iraq – every day. I have an 18 year old son and a 21 year old future son-in-law. I covet them both and their lives and what they have to offer the world. I have a nephew working with the Peace Corps in Africa and I have met personally and via the internet many people working for peace throughout the world in various capacities. So I know it is possible. I know mankind has the ability and the capability to achieve peace in my lifetime.
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths."
My prayer today is that you will work for peace in your own life. And that you invite everyone you know to visit the mountain of the Lord.
Mary
Words to Live By
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Deuteronomy 6:6-9
And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Moses is the author of most of this book and both his love for God and his people is obvious by its tone. Oral tradition, family stories around the table after dinner, and at bedtime were the norm. The Jews were very serious about their religious laws and traditions. Their very lives were lived in accordance with the laws handed down by their ancestors. Everything from how they cooked, ate, prayed, married, reared children and absolutely every aspect of their lives was based upon “the Law.”
Prayers were said several times a day and were an integral part of ebb and flow of life. Jewish men at the time wore a frontlet or phylactery, either of two small, black, leather cubes containing a piece of parchment inscribed with verses 4–9 of Deut. 6, 13–21 of Deut. 11, and 1–16 of Ex. 13: one is attached with straps to the left arm and the other to the forehead during weekday morning prayers
Deut: 6 4-5: 4. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God [is] one Lord: 5. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deut. 11:13-21: 13. "And if you will obey my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14. he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. 15. And he will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you shall eat and be full. 16. Take heed lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, 17. and the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and he shut up the heavens, so that there be no rain, and the land yield no fruit, and you perish quickly off the good land which the Lord gives you. 18. "You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19. And you shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 20. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates, 21. that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.
Exodus 13: 1-6: 1. The Lord said to Moses, 2. "Consecrate to me all the first-born; whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine." 3. And Moses said to the people, "Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place; no leavened bread shall be eaten. 4. This day you are to go forth, in the month of Abib. 5. And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. 6. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.
Basically, these are the only words needed to know how to live a life pleasing to God. I wonder what the world would be like if each of us lived by these words every moment of our lives; if we acted on them continually in our dealings with others; if we kept them ever present on our person, on our doorposts and on our gate, so we would never forget them, and so the world was put on notice that we live as God’s chosen people.
My prayer today is that you keep God’s words in the forefront of your mind and heart as you go through your day. And that you declare to the world whose you are by everything you say and everything you do.
Mary
Worthy to Suffer
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Acts 5:40-42 NASB
After calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
They rejoiced at having been flogged. They kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ – the reason for which they had been flogged. These verses give me pause, because I do love Jesus. I love him passionately and with all that I am. Would I have the strength and courage to continue declaring him my Lord and Savior if I knew I would be beaten, with absolute certainty? After having been beaten would I run, rejoicing and filled with gratitude, to tell everyone about how fortunate I was to be worthy of persecution?
In America there aren’t too many opportunities to be flogged for what we believe. Although in many countries around the world, wars are raging based upon differences in religious beliefs, we don’t experience persecution on that level. In my mind, that’s all the more reason we must live on purpose as Christians. We must claim our inheritance as Children of God, brothers and sisters with Christ. How we live and what we do puts the world on notice: we are Christians, broken, sin-filled, forgiven and redeemed.
Our testifying, teaching and preaching may mean leaving a job where the company is dishonest or unethical. It may involve dissolving a friendship, or seeking out friends who model the behavior we strive for. Our persecution can take on many forms. We may be shunned at work or in a community organization. Even our families may not agree with our faith and how we choose to live it out. Some of these choices can be devastating and life changing. But none of them compare to the choice Christ made on our behalf.
With that in mind, how can we not declare Jesus as the Christ! God walked among us. He became flesh and blood. He experienced humanity. And when he was done, he loved us even more! It’s just inconceivable!
My prayer today is that you rejoice in the persecution you endure because you are a Christian. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, you keep right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Mary
We Shall Overcome
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1 John 5:4,5 NIV
For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
I don’t know exactly why, but as I read these verses this morning I thought of a cheer at a pep rally. Probably because of the repetition of the word overcome, I felt as if I were uplifted and ready to cheer this morning. Overcome:
to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat: to overcome the enemy; to surmount opposition; be victorious; to overpower, as with emotion; affect deeply.
So in Christ we overcome the world. Because of Christ we overcome the world. Through Christ we overcome the world. In Christ we get the better of our human tendency toward sin. Because of Christ we are victorious in our struggle. In Christ we overpower evil with good. I guess that is worth cheering about!
Each of us has the ability, through Christ, to live in the world without being overcome by it. Too often, though, we choose not to enter into the struggle between this world and the world God has prepared for us at the end of time. We feel too powerless, ineffectual, weak and small to be victorious. That is because we forget to rely upon Jesus and His power, His strength, His victory, won for us on the Cross. On our own we are powerless. When we turn the struggle over to Jesus, we solicit the help of a mighty force, capable of winning the battle for our souls.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. [John 1:5]
I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." [John 16:33]
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. [Romans 12:21]
Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. [1 John 4:4]
We have reason to cheer indeed when we realize that we have within us the very breath of God, manifested in the Holy Spirit, given to us by Jesus. We are not alone in the struggle for life in this world. We are part of a mighty army of warriors fueled by faith, empowered by faith, victorious through faith in the one true living God and His Son, Jesus.
My prayer today is that you step out of the darkness of your human weakness and frailty. And that you overcome the sin in your life through, in, and because of Jesus.
Mary
God Chooses
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1 Corinthians 1:26-29
26. For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; 27. but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, 28. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29. so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
I came across a wonderful article this morning and I’ve decided to share the link here.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2006/001/6.54.html. Here’s a quick description of the article written by Ellen Vaughn: Starting the new year off right means looking forward, not backward. Here are three crucial steps for letting go of the past and grabbing on to God's promises.
My prayer today is that you grab on to God’s promises. And that you let go of the past which holds you down and holds you back.
Mary
The Grass Withers
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1 Peter 1:24
For "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls: but the word of the Lord abides for ever." That word is the good news which was preached to you.
If you’re hanging your hat on being happy when you finally win the Publisher’s Clearinghouse contest, or pick the winning numbers for the weekly Lotto drawing; if you believe you’ll be happier when you lose that 10 extra pounds, find the perfect mate, buy an expensive car, move to a particular neighborhood; well . . . I think I’ve made my point. . . We’re wasting our time seeking after earthly satisfaction, treasures, accomplishments, prizes.
You can’t take it with you! Whatever is of this world only lasts so long. Satisfactions lose their luster, money is lost, spent. Everything is fleeting – Hurricane Katrina woke many of us up to that truth in a dramatic, frightening way. In one instant hundreds lost their homes, churches, jobs, and everything that represented who and what they were in this world, to this world. Witnessing it all on television left many of us speechless and awestruck at the devastation to property and in the lives of those in Katrina’s path.
That disaster, the Tsunami and many others demonstrate how quickly everything that defines us on this earth can be obliterated. So why do we put so much importance on things so fleeting and powerless and meaningless? Why do we look at others to compare ourselves? Why do we listen to the lies the advertisements scream at us: buy this and you’ll look like a million dollars – no exercise or dieting required. Take a pill for that heartburn, constipation, pain in the back. Use the latest combination of natural ingredients formulated in a brand new way to make you look young and eliminate your wrinkles. It goes on and on. And we spend millions of dollars a year because we think that all we need to do is take something, buy something and we will be perfect. Our lives will be perfect, if only . . .
OK. Off the soap box. Think about it though. In the beginning, God made us from dust. In the end, to dust we return. We had better start depending upon those things that cannot be destroyed, deteriorated, damaged or decimated by the world. We had better turn to the God who created the world and who sent His son to earth to prove to us how very much He loves us. He became one of us, born of woman and died on a cross. His message was for us, his beloved.
God has given us a way to Him in heaven and it doesn’t require us to buy or acquire anything the human race has to sell. It only requires that we recognize Him as the source of all good things, and accept His son as our Lord and Savior. I image that’s hard for some to believe, because it’s just too easy. Well . . . not really! It’s very challenging because it requires us to accept the gift anew every single day. Every morning when we wake up, we must recommit to living in Christ. The fact that we get a new opportunity every day is a gift in and of itself.
Let’s ignore the world for a while. Put on the mute button when the commercials come on. Don’t read the magazines that tell you how you can look like at 25 year old, anorexic movie star in 30 days. Open the Bible. Seek God and His kingdom.
My prayer today is that you shut out the world, which withers like grass. And seek God and His kingdom which lasts forever.
Mary
No New Year’s Resolutions
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Ephesians 1:18,19 NIV
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
I have decided to make NO New Year’s resolutions for 2007. There. I’ve said it. I’ve been reading so many articles on line about how to succeed in keeping your resolutions, and also depressing statistics on the failure rate by February! So I’ve decided I’m not going to fall into that trap again this year.
I say that because I have a tendency to be very hard on myself and note every “failure” in my life. I’ve been known to beat myself up for not reaching a goal or milestone I had set for myself—large and small. God doesn’t want us to do that though. That’s why He sent Jesus: to open the eyes of our hearts, so we might know the hope to which He has called us.
We have eternal life in heaven! Wow! I’ve decided this year I am going to remind myself every day that I have a new opportunity for success every single day, every single minute of my life through Christ. All I need to do to succeed in that goal is log on to my computer or open my bible – both of which I do every day anyway! I receive bible verses delivered to my e-mail in box every day. If you want to receive the same ones go to: ezines@arcamax.com or subscriptions@bibleverses.com to sign up. You could even come back to this website and look in the archives.
Another way I am assured I'll be reminded of God’s goodness every single day is that I have surrounded myself with faith-filled friends. They are an on-going inspiration and source of encouragement in my journey. They are as willing to give me a “loving” kick in the pants as they are to offer a loving embrace when words are not appropriate or adequate. My husband is also one of the rocks in my life. That in and of itself is a blessing! He gently redirects me when I head toward negativity or hopelessness.
So I’m not going to resolve to be a better mother, wife, daughter, friend or anything else! I am already “God’s Wonder Woman” and He longs to continue His work in me. This year, I’m going to get out of His way – and if I forget to – I think I’ve got enough “controls” in place, that someone will surely tell me to get back on track.
My prayer today is that you give yourself a break and recognize yourself as God’s beloved creation. And that you resolve only to love Him and praise Him with your life throughout the new year.
Mary
