Sing a New Song
(NIV) Ps 96:1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Rev 14:3 They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
As someone who grew up in the church, my twin and I sat between two aunts, one who sang alto and the other soprano. Songs like “Higher Ground,” “I’ll Fly Away,” and “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” were staples in church and we learned all of the words by heart.
Yes, singing has always brought me joy, and one day there will be a new song AND we will be given new names. How great is that? But until then, I lean on songs that strengthen and uplift me, and you can too! There are a multitude of songs that have a scriptural basis like this one by the Gaithers.
Hold on, my child (hold on, my child)
Joy comes in the morning
Weeping only last for the night
Hold on, my child (hold on, my child)
Joy comes in the morning
The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.
Let music lift your soul out of life’s difficulties. Even more importantly, learn some scriptures of faith and speak them over and over until you are lifted in your most high faith.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Do Not Grow Weary
(NIV) Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
I have always loved the thought that whatever happens in my life, if I stumble, if I fall, there is a great cloud of witnesses, those gone before, watching me and cheering me on. Who are these witnesses? Chapter 11 has been called the “Roll call of Faith” as it lists some of the great heroes of the Bible who persevered through faith alone. I think of my family and can envision them as part of this great assembly who have gather to encourage me when it seems I cannot go on.
In Romans 12:3 Paul says God gave each of us a measure of faith. It is by faith we are saved, and it is by faith we can face life’s difficulties. In ministering to older adults, I have been asked, “Why am I still here?” Their faith still enabled them to believe in Jesus as their Savior, but living in this world was becoming more challenging.
As we awake each morning, may we remain aware that whatever our journey, God has promised He will never leave us or forsake us. His promise is the foundation of our faith and because of that we can continue on.
May we be strengthened and encouraged today to walk in the faith we are given, growing daily in the grace poured out upon us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Pathway of Holiness
(NIV) Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
(NIV) Psalm 119:104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
Have you considered lately all that God has promised us?
- Joy
- Freedom from anxiety
- Peace
- Salvation
- Righteousness
On most golf courses you are restricted to staying on the cart path in the winter or when there has been an abundance of rain. Once I ventured out of my cart to find a ball from an errant shot. I stepped onto ground that was much wetter than I realized and suddenly my leg was thigh deep in a bog.
Visions of quicksand from all of those Tarzan movies I had seen in my youth flashed through my mind. I yelled for help and my husband pulled me from the muck.
I have often talked about the pathway of holiness. You know the one. The straight and narrow path that leads to righteousness.
When we step off of the pathway we can believe the ground is solid but instead find ourselves sinking in the cares and temptations of this world.
May we follow closely the pathway marked by God, walking in the footprints of those saints gone on before us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Be reconciled to God
(NIV) 2 Cor 5:14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Reconciliation means to be reunited, brought back, being restored. I once heard it said this way. God demands holiness, but we are sinners and cannot achieve holiness. Yet, God cannot lower His standards. So because of His great love for mankind He fulfilled His requirement by allowing Jesus to take on the sins of the world and die in our place, thus reconciling us to Him.
The above scriptures have always been some of my favorites. When we receive the free gift of salvation, everything changes. As we become molded into the image of our Savior, we then become ambassadors of the faith. Isn’t that wonderful? We receive salvation by grace through faith, but we become disciples when we answer the call to follow. Discipleship is intentional and leads to sanctification, the act of being set apart for God.
Does being sanctified mean we have to withdraw from this world and lead a holy life in seclusion? Not at all. Sanctification is the maturing process that is all made possible through grace. The disciple who is growing in grace will necessarily seek out people that they can help grow in the faith—disciples making disciples.
May we decide today, if we have not yet been reconciled to God, to bow before a holy God and accept salvation, and then, may we be bold enough to invite others to join us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
From the Rising of the Sun
(NIV) Psalm 113
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD, you his servants;
praise the name of the LORD.
2 Let the name of the LORD be praised,
both now and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the LORD is to be praised.
4 The LORD is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the LORD.
This psalm is one of the Hallel (hallelujah) songs and extols God’s praise in the heavens and the earth and shows that God has no comparison. The psalm was sung before the Passover meal, and some theologians believe Jesus and His disciples sang this very hymn on the night of His last meal before He went to the cross.
The psalm shows not only the magnitude of Who God is, but also the extreme love He has for His creation. The psalmist does not ask for anything, but instead exalts God for His very existence.
My favorite part of this scripture is “from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.” The psalmist is not talking about praising God from morning to night, limiting our praise by time. No, he says from the east to the west which encompasses all the earth, in every country and every nation, His name is to be praised.
It has taken me a lifetime to even partially understand the nature of God. Paul said now we see through a glass darkly, but one day, face to face. Yes, one day the veil that separates us from the source of all love will be removed and we will be in His presence.
But until then, may we take time every day to bow before the most high God, praising Him not for what He has done, or for what He will do, but for Who He is.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 