worship - Thoughts About God

Moving Beyond Good Intentions

Devotionals — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 07:03:15 +0000

“Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.” Proverbs 10:12

When I was twelve, I had a horrendous fight with both of my brothers. I was shocked at the anger and hate I identified in myself. A verse in 1 John 3:15 smothered me with guilt and shame: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

But the fighting continued in my closest relationships. At times my anger felt overpowering and I was conscious of being hateful. However, I rationalized that feelings of hatred could not be the cause of the dissension — that I had a right to sort things out. I grappled to be understood. I doubted that Solomon’s words, “love covers all wrongs,” really meant what they said.

The New Testament affirms the wisdom of Solomon: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” 1 Peter 4:8.

Over 50 years have passed since that fight with my brothers, and we have a great relationship now. But these words by contemporary author Mike Mason still ring true:

“In order to surrender, and so to put an end to fighting, one must see that it is within one’s power to consciously and prayerfully move toward love. The storms of life, we all know, are fraught with subtlety and complexity. But perhaps, in the end, the peace we seek lies in something very simple, the pure action of our will. The question is not What should I do? but Will I do it?”

That question provided an “ah-ha” moment for me. Whether I liked it or not, it was a matter of obedience to choose love and peace in the face of conflict.

Lord Jesus, thank You for revealing to me that You will renovate my life as I obey You. Amen.

By Sue Braid
used by permission

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FURTHER READING

They Don’t Know What They Are Doing

Justified Anger

A Love Too Heavy

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More Than Euphoria

Devotionals — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 08:03:39 +0000

“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’” Matthew 13:7-9

How would you describe your worship experience? In today’s modern church context, many believers describe worship as a contemporary musical liturgy that precedes the traditional Sunday sermon. For many congregants, including me, modern and traditional worship songs captivate and arouse our souls — evoking an emotional euphoria that manifests as a physical and verbal expression of exultation. This experience is common, but is authentic worship more than just our emotional response to creative compositions that glorify God?

In Matthew 15, Jesus reminds us that true worship is more than just lip service. He reprimands the Pharisees and teachers of the law, calling them hypocrites because their pretentious posturing prioritized tradition over the non-negotiable truth of God’s word. To emphasize their error, Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13 — clearly and unapologetically exposing their hypocrisy. Jesus’ observation reiterates that authentic worship transcends emotional expression and the superficial veneer of outward worship. Sincere worship is a matter of a heart obedient to God’s will and word — reflecting submission, sacrifice, and service.

Are you just going through the motions when you worship the Lord? Are you honoring God with your lips and not your heart? Worship without obedience is vanity. Worship is for God’s pleasure. Let us humbly and reverently come before Him and embrace the true heart of worship.

Dear Heavenly Father, Lord I don’t want to go through the motions when I come before you in worship. May my faith walk, inwardly and outwardly, reflect a sincere heart obedient to your will and word. May I always offer you sweet worship that honors and glorifies your name. Amen.

By Allan Mitchell
Used by Permission

Waiting Forwardly

Thoughts_About_God — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 08:03:17 +0000

“The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The skies will disappear with a loud noise. . . . So what kind of people should you be?” 2 Peter 3:10-11 (NCV)

Great question. What kind of people should we be? Peter tells us: “You should live holy lives and serve God, as you wait for and look forward to the coming of the day of God” (vv. 11-12).

Hope of the future is not a license for irresponsibility in the present. Let us wait forwardly, but let us wait.

But for most of us, waiting is not our problem. Or, maybe I should state, waiting is our problem. We are so good at waiting that we don’t wait forwardly. We forget to look. . . . We are too content. We seldom search the skies . . .We seldom, if ever, allow the Holy Spirit to interrupt our plans and lead us to worship so that we might see Jesus.

by Max Lucado
Used by permission
From: When Christ Comes
Copyright (Word Publishing, 1999)

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

FURTHER READING

What are Your Ethical Standards?

What is Your Standard for Living?

What Do You Want Jesus to Say When you Meet Him Face to Face?

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From Worry to Anticipation

Devotionals — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 08:06:13 +0000

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (TLB)

After a recent trip my wife told me that she worried more when I was away because when I’m home she knows I do all the worrying for both of us.

I’m the king of worry. Over the years I’ve learned that worry is an indicator of how I’m responding to my circumstances and my desire for some level of control.

Now when I begin to worry, I see it as a call to go to God. First, I confess my self-reliance. Slowly, I turn my focus from the circumstance to God. With effort I release my grip on the circumstances and express my concerns, fears or feelings of helplessness to God. As I begin to thank Him for His presence, His love and His plan in the mist of my anxiety something changes. It’s like stepping out of a stuffy room into fresh air, my worry is replaced by a new sense of assurance. I start to look with anticipation for what God will do. It is as if I come with an armload of worry, and through prayer, exchange it for confidence in God’s love, wisdom and power to handle every circumstance. Then I begin to anticipate how God’s hand will be at work in the situation.

When we exchange worry for faith, this transaction is an act of worship. We choose to submit to God’s rule and reign in the circumstance. We honor His role our life and express faith through thankfulness. This act of worship will move you from worry to anticipation!

God use my moments of worry to remind me of my need for you. Compel me to move quickly to you in confession and worship. Amen.

By Mike Woodard
Used by Permission

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Following the Star

Devotionals — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 08:03:04 +0000

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23

Suppose you could give a gift to Christ, what would it be? How could you possibly select a gift for the One who not only has everything, but who made everything?

The Wise Men did. They can be an example to us. In addition to the gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they gave the Savior some gifts we can give him today: their hope, their time, and their worship.

The wandering wise men gave Jesus their hope. When everyone else saw a night sky, this small band of men saw the light. The sight of the star sparked a desire in their hearts that send them packing. They went, seeking Jesus.

When night comes to your world, what do you see? The darkness or the stars? Hopelessness or hopefulness? Sometimes, just as he did so long ago, God uses the darkness to reveal his stars—“The light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5). Give God your hope for Christmas.

While you’re giving, give God your time. The wise men did. Before they gave God their presents, they gave their presence. It’s likely that these men traveled as long as two years before locating the prince of heaven.

Before that one incredible moment when they knelt before Jesus, the wise men spent many moments, months, perhaps years searching, in anticipation of that meeting. Just as the wise men devoted themselves to seeking the Savior, so can you: “You will seek him and find him when you seek him with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 4:29).

And when they did find him, the wise men gave Jesus another gift: their worship. Men of wealth, influence, and intellect: what did they do when they saw Jesus? “…they fell down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11)

Worship. It’s a gift that extends to the giver as well. Through worship, we come to see God more clearly. God invites us, through worship, to see his face so he can change ours. In worship, we simply stand before God with a prepared and willing heart and let God do his work. And he does. He wipes away the tears. He mops away the perspiration. He softens our furrowed brows. He touches our cheeks. He changes our faces as we worship. The wise men sought the child of God, just as God seeks his children. “The Father is actively seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23).

The gifts of hope, time, and worship. Three gifts the wise still give.

Question: How do you worship God? Although we may sing in church and read the Bible (both of which are good things) what ways beyond these can we worship God?

By Max Lucado
From: One Incredible Moment: Celebrating the Majesty of the Manger
Used by permission

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

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Let Gentleness Go Before You

Devotionals — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 07:03:11 +0000

“Let your gentle spirit be made known to all men.” Philippians 4:5 (NASB)

We live in a society that is filled with hurting people, many of whom go unnoticed on a regular basis. Have you stopped to take notice of the people around you?

We often get so consumed with meeting the next deadline, competing for the next promotion, or running to our next obligation, that we lose sight of how we treat the people around us. Sadly, our busyness can lead to harshness, critical attitudes, frustration, or just being overwhelmed to the point that we treat the ones we love unfairly.

How many of your relationships are strained because you need to make an attitude adjustment this very moment? It’s time to push pause. Take a deep breath and release the weight of what you have been carrying. Remember, as a born again believer, you have been called to be a light to those around you. People are taking note of your every move. You are to exhibit Christ’s nature that is within. I know we all have our days… but ultimately, Jesus should be seen, not us.

I encourage you today to put on gentleness, even in the midst of those moments of frustration. Slow down and begin to pay attention to what really matters. It is not the to-do lists that are waiting to be tackled. It is the people connected to you. Let gentleness go before you today. The things you accomplish will mean very little if you have no one to share them with.

Father, help us to be mindful today of our attitudes. Help us to pay close attention to the ones we hurt because we are not paying attention to the little things. May our words and our mannerisms be seasoned with grace. May we pause to take time to commune with You in order to receive the love that we need to share with those around us. Lord, let Your love flow through us like never before. In Jesus’ name, amen.

By Mary Pinckney
used by permission

The Cost of Worship

Devotionals — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 07:03:10 +0000

“I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” 2 Samuel 24:24

Several years ago while going for a walk, I noticed someone on a bike and felt an immediate impression to talk to her about God. However, I argued with myself against doing it and kept walking the other way. With feelings of immense remorse, I told God, if I saw her again, I would speak to her. And I did. I shared with her about the love of Jesus but also gave her the gold cross I was wearing around my neck, which held sentimental value.

What costly thing am I giving to God who has given me EVERYTHING?

When Araunah offered to give David oxen for an altar that he wanted to build, David insisted on paying for them out of a deep desire to give to God something that would cost him something. He did not want to give to God something that would be of no expense to him. David understood that true worship meant sacrifice (2 Samuel 24:18-25).

It is easy to serve God when it doesn’t require much from us. When it does, and we dare go to that place which demands that we fully trust in God in a way we haven’t experienced before, God looks upon that sacrifice as a measure of our deep love and devotion to Him.

Heavenly Father, I love you and thank you for offering your Son to me so I can have eternal life with you. My desire is to offer to you ________ [fill in the blank with the area that God shows you]. I choose to give you this part of my life to show my love and thankfulness to you. Amen.

By Brigitte Straub
Used by Permission

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Beauty

Thoughts_About_God — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:03:49 +0000

“Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” Psalm 96:6

Beauty energizes our souls.

Mountains with fresh fallen snow, streams of water winding through lush, green-tree lined banks. Quiet lakes with loons gliding in the water, calling out plaintively. Saturate your eyes with the beauty God created for us to enjoy. You will become quiet and your soul will be filled with praise to our Creator.

Babies learning new things and giving us a big smile because they know they have accomplished something amazing. Children laughing and running after butterflies or absorbed in looking for small mushrooms in the lawn or making snowmen or snow angels. They bring magic and joy into our lives.

Eagles and hawks soaring and swooping overhead little birds busy eating out of the bird feeder or bathing in the puddles. We watch, laugh and feel good. We are satisfied because God is so generous.

Sun rays shining through the beveled glass on a front door creating rainbows on a tiled floor – just for a few seconds, but so beautiful and you take time to admire God’s handiwork.

One flower blooming in an otherwise dreary street observing an act of kindness toward a harried mother or frail person. All of this is from God.

Today, take the time to notice beauty and thank God for his gift to us – it is all around us.

Father, thank you for creating so much beauty – it is all around us. Open our eyes and ears that we can see and hear. Amen.

by Katherine Kehler
used by permission

God in Nature

Revel in Creation

A Prayer of Praise for God’s Creation

I’m Thankful For

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I’m Thankful For

Thoughts_About_God — Mon, 26 May 2025 07:06:39 +0000

“Oh LORD God Almighty! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, Lord.” Psalm 89:8

I am extremely grateful for our God’s magnificent creation. I never cease to be amazed at the thousands of varieties of birds, flowers, trees, leaves, rocks and plants. I love gazing at different mountain ranges such as the Rocky Mountains in Western Canada in all their grandeur or the mountains of California and Arizona with their varying shadows. I love quiet streams; gushing waterfalls; rivers; lakes; and oceans. I am continually amazed at the way God controls the oceans and how he allows the tides to come inland just so far and then it has to retreat again.

We read in Isaiah 42: 12
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales.”

When I consider that all the water in the world can fit in God’s hand, I know he is a BIG God.

My job keeps me in front of a computer for most of the day and my husband, Marvin, has made a wonderful garden for me just outside my office window. I get to enjoy rhododendrons, hydrangea, azaleas, and many other flowers while I am working. He has also placed the bird feeder within my view.

One morning, last winter, after a heavy snowfall, I filled up the bird feeder and the birds were so happy. They proceeded to put on a real show for me – flitting from one branch to another and then back to the feeder.

Many different birds visit us and although I love them all humming birds have always made me stop what I am doing to watch them. They are amazing:

They fly forward, backward, shift sideways, stop in midair.
They can beat their wings 60 to 200 times per second.
They lap nectar with their tongues (some say that their tongue is like a straw).
They can fly up to 60 miles an hour.
They live 5 -6 years in the wild.
They are the smallest bird in the world.
They consume, on average, half their weight in sugar each day.
Some of them migrate 600 miles to a warmer climate.

When I see these little birds with their magnificent iridescent colors, I am reminded of how wonderful and majestic and amazing our God is. And because He has created so many wonders for us to enjoy here on earth, I know they are but a taste of what He has in store for us in heaven. For this I am so thankful.

Father, I am so thankful for the wonders of your creation. Thank you that you didn’t create the world in black and white or without sounds and smells. I love you God, because you are so great and so kind. Amen.

by Katherine Kehler
used by permission

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Ponder the Holiness of God

Devotionals — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 07:03:01 +0000

Moses announced in Exodus 15:11,

“Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness?”

The psalmist asked,

“Who in the skies is comparable to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord” (Psalm 89:6).

Isaiah wrote,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3)!

God is not just holy or holy, holy, holy—he is wholly unlike us. Pain does not plague him. The economy does not faze him. Elections do not define him. Diseases do not infect him and death cannot claim him. Ephesians 3:20 proclaims he is

“able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”

Stare at the mountain less and at the Mountain Mover more. Ponder the holiness of God. Let his splendor stun you and inspire you!

By Max Lucado
Used by Permission
From: Glory Days

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

FURTHER READING

Splendor of His Holiness

God Is HOLY

Keep These Things and Ponder Them in Your Heart

GOD IS HOLY . . .

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Walking by Faith

Devotionals — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 08:01:57 +0000

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15

Throughout history, humans have declared their ownership of a place by erecting an image of themselves. It may be a symbol, a picture, or even a statue. Everyone passing by this image would know that someone powerful owns the land they are walking on.

When we look at our text today, we see that God put a man in the garden, a man who was made in His image. Yes, of course the man’s mandate was to work the garden and to take care of it, but it is also clear that God, by doing this, made an unprecedented declaration: all this belongs to Me.

Does God’s original declaration still stand in a fallen world? Does the presence of men and women still declare, “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1)?

In our sin, we try to take credit for the earth. We propagate the lie that “the earth is ours, and everything in it.” We couldn’t be more wrong.

Yet, out of unimaginable love, God sent His son to pay the price for our rebellion. Now, those who call themselves Christians can once again declare, through faith, that God is the all-sufficient ruler of everything. Every time we act like God, every time we obey His word by faith, there is an echo of an unbroken world, a world as it was created to be, and a world that will one day be made new.

Let us walk by faith, and not by sight.

Father, thank You for not only letting us walk in Your beautiful world, but paying the price for all the times when we walk in it, and in the bodies You created, as if we own them. Please help us to reflect Your perfection as much as possible, through our faith-fueled obedience. Amen.

Thought: Have you been acting like God, or acting as if you are God? There’s a big difference! Think about how you’ve been taking God’s credit, and confess it to Him. Then, ask Him to show you how you can be more like Him today.

By Thomas Pujol
used be permission

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Pure and Unadulterated Worship

Devotionals — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 08:01:25 +0000

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” Psalm 143:8-10

Often we think worship is reserved for the times when we sing praises to God in our weekend services.

But worship is so much more than just singing praises.

We can sing and yet not worship God. Worship comes from the heart. It must come from a place of humility where we acknowledge we need God, that we are dependent on Him, that we cannot do anything without Him.

One way we worship God is through simple prayer — pouring out our hearts to Him, declaring our frailness and His strength, our simple-mindedness and His wisdom, our need and His provision. Just as a loyal citizen kneels before their king to declare their submission to his decisions, laws, and decrees, we proclaim the same thing when we pray. Turning to God in prayer for guidance and help declares, “You are God and I am not.” In so doing we worship our Maker.

In the above verses, David declares his dependence. Kneeling before his King, he offers his trust, asking for guidance and surrendering to God’s leadership. This is sweet, holy worship!

Do you struggle to know how to worship God? Start by doing what David did. Offer your trust, surrender to His leadership, and be willing to follow wherever He leads. This is worship in its purest form and it pleases the heart of our Father!

Let us hear of Your unfailing love each morning, for we trust you. Show us where to walk, for we give ourselves to you. Rescue us from our enemies, Lord; we run to you to hide us. Teach us to do your will, for You are our God. May your gracious Spirit lead us forward on a firm footing. Amen.

By Kristi Huseby
Used by Permission

Do you know Jesus in a personal way? Do you desire that intimate relationship that this author has? Knowing Him starts with a simple prayer of surrender and it grows from there. Here is a sample prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to You and ask You to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

It starts now!