December 25, 2024

Holy, Holy, Holy

July 22, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
Holy is the Lord God Almighty
Worthy to receive glory
Worthy to receive honor
Worthy to receive all our praise today

Praise Him
Praise Him and lift Him up
Praise Him
Exalt His name forever 

 Alvin Slaughter (along with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir)
written by Joe Wood, John Dykes, Reginald Heber

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

One day we will perfectly, completely, totally, truly exalt and praise and honor and glorify the Great I Am forever and ever…for all eternity!  Oh, isn’t it going to be so AWEsome?!!!?  Then we will be just like the heavenly host who now are around God’s throne.

…and day and night they never stop saying, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come.
And whenever the living creatures offer glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him
Who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever,
The twenty-four elders fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne,
and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever;
and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out,
Worthy are You, our Lord and God,
to receive the glory and the honor and dominion,
for You created all things;
by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created.
Revelation 4:8-11

But even now we can exalt and praise and honor and glorify Him!!!  We have our Lord’s example…even He did not seek to bring glory to Himself!  Jesus lived His life on this earth to bring glory to His Father.

Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing.
My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies Me.
John 8:54

Jesus also taught His followers that they, too, could glorify God.

You are the salt of the earth.
But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16

Just like you, I so yearn for my walk in this world to bring attention—to bring glory—to the Great I AM!  My prayer every day is that others will see Jesus in me, and that anything good or righteous I might do will glorify the God that I love.  As His child, everywhere I go He is with me.  But not always do my actions {or my words} prove that I am a child of God.

God will be glorified through our lives in the big, and the small, things as we live and breathe with His character within us.  By His grace we have been enabled to love with His love…to show mercy as He shows mercy…to forgive…to give grace.

These are things that bring Him honor and glorify Him:

  • when a wife chooses to speak words that respect her husband
  • when we sit with our children and grandchildren reading to them out of their little Bible story books teaching them about their heavenly Father
  • when we go on a missions trip to a far-away country (or a nearby town!) and share the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus with young women who have lived with no hope
  • when we take a meal to neighbors who have just added a new baby to their family
  • when we take part in our church’s community-wide VBS program and minister to a little girl who has never heard about Jesus until this week
  • when we are in a long line at the grocery store and ask the mom with a cart overflowing with food AND 3 children to get in line ahead of us
  • when we go sit on the porch to chat (and listen) with an elderly neighbor whose family rarely comes to visit

And so I ask…
today will Almighty God, the Great I AM,
be glorified with you or without you? (And me, too….)

Let’s practice what we will be doing forever…and ever…and ever!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Glorify God

July 8, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

I will extol the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt His name together.
Psalms 34:1-3

Glorifying the Lord in our current age is becoming harder and harder. Technology, money, and other ways to keep up with the “Jones,’” is starting to take more and more time away from just about everybody. It feels like we need more time in the day to just accomplish three or four things on our daily to-do list. (This does not include the regular 9-5 job.)  Many of us are losing precious time with our families and our Lord because of everything that we are letting take us away from them.

However, we can find ways to glorify God during the day. We can pray anytime we want. It is part of the freedom of living in the U.S. This past weekend (Fourth of July) my family started what will hopefully become a new tradition for us of taking a week (maybe two weeks after talking with the reservation lady) to spend the holiday at Wind Creek State Park in Alabama. (If you ever need a nice place to go camping, we highly recommend Wind Creek State Park.) We caught up on some much needed family time. With my husband’s job, along with my work and school schedule, too, it is hard to fit in time as a family. It is hard to find time for God every day, but we pray every day and try to read a verse or two together. Life is hectic, but God can still be glorified in it.

Glorify God in your work. Glorify God in your family time. Admire His glorious work in you and around you. Be thankful for the blessings He gives you. In the blink of an eye, it could be over. Glorify the Lord at all times—through thankfulness, praise, prayer, and devotion.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for Your blessings. We praise You with each action. We will praise You through our lips and heart. In Jesus name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Lean In Closer

January 2, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Psalms 46:1-3

God is there. Lean in closer. We, as believers, know that He is always with us—always within the reach of our heart’s cry.

Uncertainties and difficulties are always on the horizon. I’m facing some now. Christians face difficulties like other people do. The difference is that when the storms hit, we know God is there with us. We go to Him—our Refuge and Strength. (When things are going wonderfully, let’s lean toward Him then also. The world may have a hard time distinguishing what is going on in our lives. That’s okay, if that happens. If they have an encounter with us at any time, I hope the main thing they take away is that we love God.)
God is my Refuge and Strength. He helps me enormously! It’s in the tough times that my faith, trust, and relationship with Him grow even stronger. Without Him, I wouldn’t have endured or persevered in really tough times.

When I’m tired, hurt, or face the unknown, God is my Refuge and Strength. Can you say that? Hopefully, you can! (If not, please pause now, and pray to God to allow that statement to become true for you.)

I know of several close friends who have heavy burdens right now. None of us have a completely smooth ride between birth and death. There will be many wonderful times of love, laughter, celebrations, and being with special people. There also will be many times of illness, grief, struggles, loss, loneliness, and hurts. Life is made up of a combination of all of these for every one of us. Each person’s journey will look different than someone else’s. The only way to live in a God-glorifying way is to reach toward God in all things. Don’t let the emphasis be on our circumstances. And if others do see the circumstances, may they see that in them, we loved Jesus. Each new day that we begin, let our emphasis be on His Presence in our lives and our love for Him!

I often think of Joni Eareckson Tada, who’s a quadriplegic. At the mention of her name, I also think of her great love for God. Her incredible love for Him shines even brighter because she places her love for Him way above dwelling on the circumstances she has to live in! So, her beautiful testimony of loving God within her difficult circumstances shines even brighter to bring Him even more glory! Wow! I love that!

How do we lean in closer to God? Hannah, in the Bible, prayed. When she couldn’t have the child she so desperately longed for, she prayed. The child, Samuel, came after her prayer of request and then, she prayed a prayer glorifying God. In her prayer of thankfulness, Hannah said, “There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2). She drew close to her God for help and to praise Him! (See 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11 for more.)

We can lean closer to God through prayer, reading His Word, singing songs of praise and worship, and trusting and having faith in Him regardless of circumstances.

What are you going through in this season of your life? Lean in closer toward God. He is there. He is waiting with love and open arms. He will be your Refuge and Strength.

Dear Jesus,  let us always be mindful of Your Presence. Thank You for caring about us and loving us to the point of death on a cross. If You can rise from death and reign as King of kings as You have, You can certainly deal with the problems that come our way. Let us lay them at Your feet. Let us trust You completely with our difficult situations and circumstances—knowing You are to be trusted and loved in, and through, all things! In Your precious Name I pray, amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“I AM” Week 2 – Day 5: Glory of The LORD

July 19, 2013 by

One day we will perfectly, completely, totally, truly exalt and praise and honor and glorify the Great I Am forever and ever…for all eternity!  Oh, isn’t it going to be so AWEsome?!!!?  Then we will be just like the heavenly host who now are around God’s throne.

…and day and night they never stop saying, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come.
And whenever the living creatures offer glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him
Who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever,
The twenty-four elders fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne,
and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever;
and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out,
Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion,
for You created all things; by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created.
Revelation 4:8-11

But even now we can exalt and praise and honor and glorify Him!!!

Our author writes in the I AM study,

“As we seek God, He places the need to conform to His character within us.  As we walk out our life in the world, we take Him with us.  He is glorified or shamed, depending on how we carry ourselves.  It is our responsibility to make sure God is glorified through our life …God will be glorified with or without you….”

Jesus our Lord lived His life as He walked on this earth to bring glory to His Father.  Even He did not bring glory to Himself!

Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing.
My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.
John 8:54

Jesus also taught His followers that they, too, could glorify God.

“You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16

Just like you, I so yearn for my walk in this world to bring attention—to bring glory—to the Great I AM!  My prayer every day is that others will see Jesus in me, and that anything good or righteous I might do will glorify the God that I love.  As His child, everywhere I go…He is with me.  But not always do my actions {or my words} prove that I am a child of God.

God will be glorified through our lives in the big, as well as the small, things as we live and breathe with His character within us.  By His grace we have been enabled to love with His love…to show mercy just as He shows us mercy…to forgive…to give grace.

These are things that bring Him honor and glorify Him:

  • when a wife chooses to speak words that respect her husband
  • when we sit with our children and grandchildren reading to them out of their little Bible story books teaching them about their heavenly Father
  • when we go on a missions trip to a far-away country and share the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus with young women who have lived with no hope
  • when we take a meal to neighbors who have just added a new baby to their family
  • when we take part in our church’s community-wide VBS program and minister to a little girl who has never heard about Jesus until this week
  • when we are in a long line at the grocery store and ask the mom with a cart overflowing with food AND 3 children to get in line ahead of us
  • when we go sit on the porch to chat (and listen) with an elderly neighbor whose family rarely comes to visit

So I ask you…today will Almighty God, the Great I AM, be glorified with you or without you?

Let’s practice what we will be doing forever…and ever…and ever!

Praying for each of you!

♥  coleen

*****

Let’s Pray:

Almighty God, You deserve all the honor, all the glory, all the praises that our hearts could ever hold and our voices could ever speak!  There is NONE like You!  You WILL be glorified throughout all eternity!  We so desire to glorify You here and now, Father!  Today, Lord, may our words and our actions bring glory to You as we obey and love You with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and all our strength.  May the care that You give and the needs You provide for in our lives draw others to You!  May the world glorify You, Lord, as we live out our lives manifesting Your character.  May the light that You have placed in us shine into the darkness of the world bringing hope to the lost.  And may it be clear that it is never ‘us’ but always of You!  We love You…we praise You…we glorify and exalt You!

Amen.

 

Filed Under: Women's Ministry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,