The Good Life is Found in Jesus!

August 1, 2016 No Comments

The Good Life!

In church on Sunday, July 31,2016, the title of the sermon was “The Good Life.” The scripture for the message came from Ecclesiastes 2: 2; 12-14; 2:18-20. Yet, the message was not only in the sermon but also in the hymns that we sang.

Our opening hymn was “Speak, O Lord,” which we learned sometime last year. I, especially like, the first verse of this hymn. The melody is rich and beautiful. Here is the first verse.

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of your holy word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes, for Your glory.

In this verse, I find, in order, to experience the good life, I need God’s truth planted deep inside me. If I allow God to use His word to shape and fashion me into the likeness of Christ, my acts of love and my deeds of faith will be for His glory. Certainly, God alone has the power to fulfill His purpose in me.

The second hymn that spoke to the message was “What Is the World to Me.” This hymn tells of the importance Jesus is to me. From verse 1, I read that Jesus alone is my treasure and my soul’s delight. Jesus is what I truly prize above all things in the second verse. Though the world seeks after wealth and is never satisfied, I am content because my Jesus is my wealth in the third. Therefore, Jesus is my all in all; what is the world to me.

The Message

Furthermore, the sermon spoke of chasing after wealth and things apart from God is vanity. It is unjust to toil and labor and then to leave it behind to those who did not toil for it. Yet, Jesus gave it all away for us. One cannot find the good life apart from Him.

Overall, The service left me wanting more of Jesus and my worship was richly blessed. Hence, I shall seek Him first.

Defining Moment Has Come!

May 25, 2016 No Comments

What I Have Learned from My Defining Moment.

Over the past couple months, I have been exploring the “how” God is being worshiped in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) in the area that I Live. Today, I reached a defining moment when it comes worship.

The LCMS has a particular order to the way worship service is followed. This what is termed the substance which is not to be changed. What may you ask does this mean? There are a number of things that are a part of the substance such as confession & absolution, the creeds, baptism, Gospel reading, communion and the Lord’s Prayer. This is what comprises a liturgical service. The way or order that these follow is what is termed the form.

‘As long as the substance remains the same, the form may change’ is the way one part of the LCMS looks at worship. I have visited a few churches and seen the various forms that worship has taken. From what I have seen so far there was one service that the form effected the substance. There were a quite few parts of substance that were not present. At two other services, the form was different but the substance was present with only one or more parts absent. My home church, I believe, has found a very good balance where the substance remained and the form was altered so that all parts were present.

My defining moment came when God helped me understand that what is the most important is the condition of my heart. Man judges the outward appearance but God judges the heart. If I am worshiping Him in spirit and in truth at my church then I am where I belong.

I am where I belong. My church is the right fit for me.
Powered By the Tweet This Plugin
Tweet This

My Conclusion

I recognize that where I currently worship is right for me because God’s truth is taught through scripture reading and the creeds and He is worshiped in song. It is through confession and absolution that I admit that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I receive forgiveness of my sins through communion. I am also able to worship Him in spirit and in truth for who He is. Therefore, I am a Christian who chooses to worship in an LCMS church.

Where are you able to worship God in spirit and in truth? Check out this Related Link: 5 Things I Love about my Church!

(1 John 1:8-9, Acts 4:12, 1 Samuel 16:7, John 4:23-24)

The Silver Miner

My Home Church Then & Now

May 23, 2016 No Comments

Once My Church Home was Baptist. Now It is Lutheran.

I grew up attending a Baptist church during my adolescence. It was baptized in a Baptist church in Terrell, Texas, that I was baptized. There I felt at home in my church. I am quite familiar with a number of hymns such as “Because He Lives,” and “I Surrender All.” I have often thought of myself as Baptist at heart. Yet I have not been a member of a Baptist church since 2006.

I first attended an ELCA* Lutheran church in my senior of high school. This became my family’s church home. I attended faithfully with my parents. When I later joined the Air Force, I went to the Protestant service which was a Lutheran church service. I have on more occasions said that I am a Christian first and where I worship may change.

After a dispute at our church home, my parents, my son, and I started to attend services at an LCMS* church. I was a single parent at the time due to the death of my first husband. Over the many years since first attending a Lutheran service, I have grown accustomed to the liturgical order of worship.

During my early 30’s, however, I struggled to find my place of worship. I did not feel like I fit in at the Lutheran church where I attended with my parents. Therefore, I elected to attend the Church of the Nazarene. I was there for five years after which I started to attend a Baptist church again. At first, I felt like I had come home, but God had another plan for me.

God brought someone wonderful into my life in 2004 and we were married in 2006. My new husband was a very active member of the same church that my parents were still attending. I became a member once more on the Father’s day before we were married. We have made this church our home until God tells us differently. God’s plans are truly greater than anything that we can plan or imagine.

I have found my church home to be in an LCMS church. There, the truth doesn’t waiver and Christ is taught and worshiped. It is not perfect but God’s Word is the rule. I guess you might say that I once was Baptist but now I am Lutheran by choice.

From Baptist to Lutheran, my, how things have changed!

Tweet This

*Footnote: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS)

Worship His Name

A Time is Coming!

March 21, 2016 No Comments

The time is now to worship God. I had the honor of participating in a Passion play in March. It started off with the Samaritan woman at the well. I particularly like the passage of John chapter 4 where Jesus is talking to her about worship (4:19-24). He tells her that a time is coming when God will be worshiped neither on the mountain nor in Jerusalem. The Amplified Version emphasizes that in spirit is from the heart, the inner self. I think of it as heartfelt worship for who He is, what He has done, and what He is yet to do. It is not going to matter too much about form but more as a matter of the heart. God knows my heart, therefore, He knows when I worship Him in spirit and in truth.

One of the greatest weapons that Satan has is our battle over how others choose to worship. It is a driving wedge in congregations and church organizations. Who am I to judge how another chooses to worship as long as they are worshiping in truth according to God’s word? Jesus came to testify to the truth. He is the truth, the way, and the life. If people want to use praise music and raise their hands then they should be allowed that freedom. God wants our hearts to be filled with His praise and thanksgiving. Do not allow Satan to rob us of our true worship and the glory that it brings God. I need to focus on the condition of my heart and not be concerned over someone else. I can only pray for them. I cannot persuade them. I choose not to condemn someone if they want traditional hymns and liturgy. It may be right for them but for me my heart sings for God with both traditional hymns and contemporary praise music. The time has come to worship God for who He is.

One of my favorite phrase is, “The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.” It is what is in my heart when I go to worship that is important. Humility is admitting to myself that in the face of God I am worthless but because of Christ I live. Therefore, I ask God to search my heart, to test me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me. Lead me, Lord in the everlasting way (Psalm 139:23-24).

How is your worship? Have you found yourself to be critical of how someone else chooses to worship God?

I leave you with Psalm 139:1-3;

O Lord, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me.
²
You know when I sit down and when I rise up [my entire life, everything I do];
You understand my thought from afar.
³
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And You are intimately acquainted with all my ways.