The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. (Westminster Catechism)

Do you realize that if you stop right now and worship God, think about Him, marvel at His attributes, call His name Holy, let your heart burst into song, lift your hands, dance … whatever you want – you will be fulfilling the prime reason for your existence? What could be better (or easier)? And on top of that, you have the assurance that your offering is joyfully received.

We were created to worship – to notice the song of the birds, to catch the shape of the clouds, to feel the penetrating heat of the day, to observe the twist of the lips that makes one smile different from another, to catch a drop of rain on the tongue, to hear a humming bird hum, to taste the sweetness of an orange and notice its color – these are far and away the most important observations we can make. And look at how accessible these are!

What we’re talking about here is living with an attitude of praise. Anyone can do it – rich or poor, new Christian or old, healthy or sick – we can all un-clutter our lives by arranging everything around God and the celebration of why we are here. Nature is doing it unconsciously. Children do it most easily. We need a little instruction – a little prodding – only because we get distracted and we forget.

Outside my window right now is a tree unlike any I have ever seen. It grows out as much as it grows up. Its branches defy gravity, growing horizontally for 20 feet or more before shooting up with heavy branches, as if held up by an invisible hand. This one tree provides shade for five houses. Cut it back and it keeps growing. New shoots are everywhere. What is this tree doing right now? Praising God. It can’t help it. It is old and wise and sturdy, yet still putting out new life. It is a living monument to its Creator. God thought this tree into existence and put it here, years ago, for his pleasure and mine. He and I share this tree together. And when it flowers, the buzzing of a thousand bees can be heard in the early morning quietness. It’s our tree throbbing with audible praise.

We can do it too. Even more so, because we have a mind, heart, body, soul and spirit. We can hum our thanks to our creator with words and meaning, for we were made for this, and we are restless souls without it. Let everything that has breath (and even that which does not) praise the Lord! Praise ye the Lord!

Question: What is your favorite way to give the Lord praise?

by John Fischer
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Praise God for All He has Done

The Supernatural Power of Praise

Praise Brings Blessings

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May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it” (1 Thess. 5:23-24).

God desires you to be blessed and complete in your spirit, soul, and body. Your human spirit is the innermost part where the Holy Spirit resides.

Spirit, be strengthened through the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:16). You connect with Him at a deep level. Be blessed with deep calling to deep. If there are areas where you feel crushed or broken, receive the compassion and healing of Jesus who is near to those who are crushed in spirit (Ps. 34:18). May you, spirit, be blessed to receive everything you need to be whole and blameless.

Soul and body, you are valuable and needed. You bring outward expressions of what the spirit feels through words, emotions, and actions. You communicate through smiles, warm embraces, and hands raised in worship. Soul and body, take your place in the dance, allowing your human spirit to lead. Be blessed to partner with the human spirit led by the Holy Spirit.

In areas where you, soul and body, have experienced pain or loss, allow the Holy Spirit working with your spirit to bring transformation and healing. Receive new grace to run the race of life free of weights and entanglements. Your Father is faithful to sanctify every part of you and make you whole. He will do it. May you receive from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit everything you need each moment. Be blessed as you bring all of who you are into full agreement with all of who He is.

Be blessed as the God of peace works to make you complete and whole—spirit, soul, and body.

by Sylvia Gunter
used by permission

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“Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.” 1 Corinthians 15:43 (NLT)

In the death of Jesus we were forgiven and in His resurrection we are given new life. He breathes new life into us, freeing us from our guilt and shame and giving us abundant peace, love, and strength. It is through the resurrection of Jesus that God has opened the door for us to dwell intimately in His healing presence.

I was a broken man, bound by chains of depression, alcohol, gambling, and feelings of worthlessness. But the risen Lord helped me overcome all of that when I opened up and became brutally honest with Him, giving him my burdens and laying everything at His feet. Then I was truly filled with His peace and rest. He has become my anchor and the solid ground upon which I stand.

Through trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice for us, our old life, with all of its cracks and scars, is buried with Him. We’ve been raised into a brand new life for His glory and by His grace. We continue on, recognizing our weaknesses so that we are raised in His strength.

We can say along with Paul: “The life you see me living is not ‘mine,’ but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20b MSG)

Jesus says His purpose is to bring us life (John 10:10). In His death and resurrection He has fulfilled this purpose. Let the Father continue to raise you from your brokenness into His glory and from your weakness into His strength. Rest in the near and intimate presence of God and let Him breathe new life into you today.

Heavenly Father, take these broken parts of me, I lay them at your feet Lord. I surrender everything to You. Heal my shame and free me from fear. May they be buried forever. Fill me today powerfully with Your Spirit; raise me into new life by Your grace and mercy. I chose to come into your presence and be intimate with You.

A Thought: What parts of your life do you need to let God bury so that He may create new life in you? Take these parts to Him in prayer right now. Lay them at the cross.

by Daniel Forster
used be permission

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Beauty out of Brokenness

From Brokenness to Holiness

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“Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you?� 
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT).

Paul wrote these words to counter the Corinthian sex obsession. “Run away from sexual sin!� reads the prior sentence. “No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.� (v.18 NLT).

What a salmon scripture! No message swims more up-stream than this one. You know the sexual anthem of our day: “I’ll do what I want. It’s my body.� God’s firm response? “No, it’s not. It’s mine.�

Be quick to understand, God is not anti-sex. Dismiss any notion that God is anti-affection and anti-intercourse. After all, he developed the whole package. Sex was his idea. From his perspective, sex is nothing short of holy.

He views sexual intimacy the way I view our family Bible. Passed down from my father’s side, the volume is one hundred years old and twelve inches thick. Replete with lithographs, scribblings, and a family tree, it is, in my estimation, beyond value. Hence, I use it carefully.

When I need a stepstool, I don’t reach for the Bible. If the foot of my bed breaks, I don’t use the family Bible as a prop. When we need old paper for wrapping, we don’t rip a sheet out of this book. We reserve the heirloom for special times and keep it in a chosen place.

Regard sex the same way—as a holy gift to be opened in a special place at special times. The special place is marriage, and the time is with your spouse.

Casual sex, intimacy outside of marriage, pulls the Corinthian ploy. It pretends we can give the body and not affect the soul. We can’t. We humans are so intricately psychosomatic that whatever touches the soma impacts the psyche as well. The me-centered phrase “as long as no one gets hurt� sounds noble, but the truth is, we don’t know who gets hurt. God-centered thinking rescues us from the sex we thought would make us happy. You may think your dalliances are harmless, and years may pass before the x-rays reveal the internal damage, but don’t be fooled. Casual sex is a diet of chocolate—it tastes good for a while, but the imbalance can ruin you. Sex apart from God’s plan wounds the soul.

Your body, God’s temple. Respect it.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/2009/07/02/ml_body/

*********************************************************
Max Lucado
From: It’s Not About Me
© (Thomas Nelson, 2007),

Used by permission
To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
https://www.maxlucado.com/about/

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