"Every Day I will praise You and extol Your name for ever
and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no
one can fathom. For The Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns
the humble with victory." (Psalm 145:2,3; 149:4 NIV)
This morning as I write, tired but rejoicing--over the victory won by our 18-member High School Marching Band, I have reason to praise The Lord, as do they all.
If
people don't understand how important to recognize that all of God's
Word is relevant to our every day lives, it is because they do not
understand it or how marvelous our God is!
We
have been steadily encouraging our diminishing band to think and work
as hard as they can. Many were discouraged because of the small size,
but one of the things I have constantly said to them is that it is not
about the numbers, but the individual effort. Last night, their collective individual efforts earned them a Division 1 Ranking during the 2015 Band Festival of Marching Bands.
Our senior drum major was so shocked, his mouth fell open (his story),
but I remained confident in the blessing of our Lord--honoring their
effort because they played and thrilled the crowd with a dance
coordinated by the band director. They were awesome.
Here's the link on YouTube: https://youtu.be/czsIdff-BeA
Since
I was the one videotaping their performance, I must apologize for the
shaky start of the video; I was trying to manipulate the camera around
other people.
Though they are small number
they are mighty in sound and courage in facing-off with other bands
much, much larger than they are. God's grace and mercy abounds and
prayers were answered--our band members are no longer discouraged, but encouraged.
We
must remember that Gideon had his mighty army reduced to a handful so
the army would not get the glory, but God. And considering everything
this little high school marching band has endured, God indeed gets the glory for their accomplishment.
I
pray that each of them will continue to do their very
best--individually and collectively--not concerned with the numbers or
the naysayers and doubters, but mindful of a God who is more than enough and it is He who gives us the victory in all situations.
Whenever
we face obstacles, challenges, naysayers and doubters--all those who
would attempt to discourage us and keep us defeated; we need to remember
that there is no battle too hard for God and no victory withheld from those who love Him--whether in a marching band or marching through this journey called life. As
long as we march to the beat of His Word and live according to the
rhythm of His grace--we will know victory and for that--WE GIVE HIM
PRAISE!
Showing posts with label Glory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glory. Show all posts
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Glorify His Name!
"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you that our
God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may
bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed
prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may
be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God
and the Lord Jesus Christ!" (2 Thessalonians 1:11, 12 NIV)
I cannot imagine what was going on in Thessalonica when Paul wrote this second letter to the church there. From what he says, I know the Believers were being persecuted and treated unjustly and he was encouraging them to remain faithful to God. In the first part of this passage of scripture, we see Paul remind them that the evil ones--those who don't know God or obey will be punished and on the day Christ returns, He will be glorified in His Holy people who believed Him because of the testimony of others.
Now, that they have believed, Paul tells them they are constantly praying for them that God may make them worthy (we cannot make ourselves worthy of His calling) and that they will allow His power to bring to pass every good thing they desire and do. Why? Not for them to glorified--lifted up and praised, but so God will be lifted up and praised--and His name--glorified.
Notice that Paul tells them by God's power--He will bring every good desire and deed to fruition--so He'll get the glory. One of the things that irritates me the most is watching award shows where the winners "give God honor" for what they have achieved, but their deeds--whether in a movie or in music--did nothing to glorify God and everything to glorify Satan. Do they think that God is fooled or deceived by them winning an award for their portrayals of godlessness--on screen or in the music? Seriously?
Does God get any glory or honor in obscenities, profanities, pornography, or sexual promiscuity? Is He entertained by, Modern Family, Nashville, Gray's Anatomy, Empire, Scandal, The Haves and Have Nots, or the other shows where wives are sleeping around with other men and women or children being sexually active? Why must sex be used to glorify the devil when God intended it to be used to glorify Him through the production and continuity of the human race through marriage (His standards)? And the saddest part is that so many Christians are caught up in watching all the filth and the pastors are dismissing services early so their congregations can keep up with the latest godlessness.
It is because of all the godlessness portrayed on television that I have opted out--there is nothing worthwhile except perhaps the weather and traffic reports on local stations. No matter what program a person attempts to watch--they are bombarded with fornication, homosexuality, and all types of perversity.
Reading and writing have become my modes of entertainment--I read to learn and write to inspire, motivate and educate. With all I do, I proclaim the name of Jesus so He is glorified and not me. Not that I can make me worthy of the calling on my life to proclaim the Gospel, but because He strengthens me daily to do all I can to make sure others know just how good He is.
God is not deceived by anything we see that dishonors Him nor is He fooled by anyone proclaiming to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and yet lives like the unsaved world and promotes ungodliness. People who think He is deceived have been deceived, by the great deceiver.
With all that we desire in life and all we do--let's do it to glorify the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and when we do--He will bring all we desire to pass as a testimony to His goodness so others will also believe.
I cannot imagine what was going on in Thessalonica when Paul wrote this second letter to the church there. From what he says, I know the Believers were being persecuted and treated unjustly and he was encouraging them to remain faithful to God. In the first part of this passage of scripture, we see Paul remind them that the evil ones--those who don't know God or obey will be punished and on the day Christ returns, He will be glorified in His Holy people who believed Him because of the testimony of others.
Now, that they have believed, Paul tells them they are constantly praying for them that God may make them worthy (we cannot make ourselves worthy of His calling) and that they will allow His power to bring to pass every good thing they desire and do. Why? Not for them to glorified--lifted up and praised, but so God will be lifted up and praised--and His name--glorified.
Notice that Paul tells them by God's power--He will bring every good desire and deed to fruition--so He'll get the glory. One of the things that irritates me the most is watching award shows where the winners "give God honor" for what they have achieved, but their deeds--whether in a movie or in music--did nothing to glorify God and everything to glorify Satan. Do they think that God is fooled or deceived by them winning an award for their portrayals of godlessness--on screen or in the music? Seriously?
Does God get any glory or honor in obscenities, profanities, pornography, or sexual promiscuity? Is He entertained by, Modern Family, Nashville, Gray's Anatomy, Empire, Scandal, The Haves and Have Nots, or the other shows where wives are sleeping around with other men and women or children being sexually active? Why must sex be used to glorify the devil when God intended it to be used to glorify Him through the production and continuity of the human race through marriage (His standards)? And the saddest part is that so many Christians are caught up in watching all the filth and the pastors are dismissing services early so their congregations can keep up with the latest godlessness.
It is because of all the godlessness portrayed on television that I have opted out--there is nothing worthwhile except perhaps the weather and traffic reports on local stations. No matter what program a person attempts to watch--they are bombarded with fornication, homosexuality, and all types of perversity.
Reading and writing have become my modes of entertainment--I read to learn and write to inspire, motivate and educate. With all I do, I proclaim the name of Jesus so He is glorified and not me. Not that I can make me worthy of the calling on my life to proclaim the Gospel, but because He strengthens me daily to do all I can to make sure others know just how good He is.
God is not deceived by anything we see that dishonors Him nor is He fooled by anyone proclaiming to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and yet lives like the unsaved world and promotes ungodliness. People who think He is deceived have been deceived, by the great deceiver.
With all that we desire in life and all we do--let's do it to glorify the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and when we do--He will bring all we desire to pass as a testimony to His goodness so others will also believe.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Yours, Lord!
"Yours, LORD, is the greatness
and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for
everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your
hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all" (I
Chronicles 29:11,12 NIV).
How wonderful, how great is our God?
Everything that was, is and will be--is a result of the greatness of The Lord!
He is exalted above all things because He created all things!
Wealth and honor--power to prosper and succeed--all come from Him and through Him.
He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Great I Am--He is all we need--our healer, our provider, our protector, our comforter--the lover of our souls and we will exalt His Name forever!
He gives strength to weak, vision to the blind, insight to wise, healing to the sick, comfort to the lonely, and direction to all who are willing to hear Him and obey!
Yes, Our God is an awesome God--He reigns from heaven above and looks upon His children with mercy and grace, ready to forgive when we repent, and never leaves us alone in the battle. Our God is awesome! Keeps us in the valley, on the mountain tops, no matter where we are--we are never alone--He is always there!
Who is like our God? There is none like Him. No one who can do the things He does for those who love and honor Him. Nobody greater than our God!
We will bless The Lord at all times; His praise will continually be in our mouths, on our lips, our hearts shall sing with gladness and as we proclaim His greatness to all who have ears to hear! We will magnify Him until the sun no longer shines in the universe or moves in its orbit. We will praise Him until the mountains fall into the sea. We will exalt the name of our God until there is no one left to hear--How great is our God!
Bless Him all people, of all nations, bless His Holy name while we yet have a chance! Give Him the glory that only belongs to Him. Hallelujah!
There's a praise in my soul that just cannot be held back and this is the day, I will praise Him with everything in me--I will lift my voice in song, I will clap my hands, I will dance in praise of Him and I will shout the victory I have in Him from the rooftops so all will hear--Our God is awesome--He can move mountains, dry up the seas and in an instant--restore all that was ever lost--there is nothing too hard for Our God to accomplish, when we believe and trust in Him! I am His and He is mine! Yours, Lord! Glory to God in the highest!
How wonderful, how great is our God?
Everything that was, is and will be--is a result of the greatness of The Lord!
He is exalted above all things because He created all things!
Wealth and honor--power to prosper and succeed--all come from Him and through Him.
He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Great I Am--He is all we need--our healer, our provider, our protector, our comforter--the lover of our souls and we will exalt His Name forever!
He gives strength to weak, vision to the blind, insight to wise, healing to the sick, comfort to the lonely, and direction to all who are willing to hear Him and obey!
Yes, Our God is an awesome God--He reigns from heaven above and looks upon His children with mercy and grace, ready to forgive when we repent, and never leaves us alone in the battle. Our God is awesome! Keeps us in the valley, on the mountain tops, no matter where we are--we are never alone--He is always there!
Who is like our God? There is none like Him. No one who can do the things He does for those who love and honor Him. Nobody greater than our God!
We will bless The Lord at all times; His praise will continually be in our mouths, on our lips, our hearts shall sing with gladness and as we proclaim His greatness to all who have ears to hear! We will magnify Him until the sun no longer shines in the universe or moves in its orbit. We will praise Him until the mountains fall into the sea. We will exalt the name of our God until there is no one left to hear--How great is our God!
Bless Him all people, of all nations, bless His Holy name while we yet have a chance! Give Him the glory that only belongs to Him. Hallelujah!
There's a praise in my soul that just cannot be held back and this is the day, I will praise Him with everything in me--I will lift my voice in song, I will clap my hands, I will dance in praise of Him and I will shout the victory I have in Him from the rooftops so all will hear--Our God is awesome--He can move mountains, dry up the seas and in an instant--restore all that was ever lost--there is nothing too hard for Our God to accomplish, when we believe and trust in Him! I am His and He is mine! Yours, Lord! Glory to God in the highest!
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