| Devotionals from the Upper Room |
| This is the part of the website where I will keep the devotionals from Wednesday Nights at The Upper Room. At any given time I will probably only have 8 or 9 devotionals posted up here. But I will make a list of all the devotionals I have so you can e-mail me to recieve the ones that are not posted on the website. |
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| Do we really worship God with all we have? Read John 4:19-26. Many of us go to church with friends to hang out and when the worship starts you get emotional and sing and play along with whatever mood the song puts out... but this is not worship. Worship (v) -(1) : to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power -(2) : to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, and devotion. This is the definition of the verb worship out of a Merriam-Webster Dictionary. To honor, to reguard, to praise with great or extravagant respect, honor, and devotion. Now reread John 4:23-24. His worshipers must worship him in spirit and in truth. If you are talking and joking around, are you worshipping Him in truth? If you have you mind focused on something else other than, are you worshipping Him in spirit? See many people when singing just accept the emotions that the song is sending to others, but when one person may be broken by a song through the Holy Spirit another may be rejoicing in the new forgiveness and joy that they found in God. So if you are just trying to play it cool like others you just choose one and go along with it. Not actually hearing what the Holy Spirit is trying to show you. Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." When you are worshipping ask God to have the Holy Spirit move through you and when you do this God will always hear, and answer. If you do this everytime you will be answered with the Holy Spirit, but maybe not like you expect it. Many people do go to church because they want to grow closer to God, but when they ask for something the answer is not what they want; therefore, they ignore and then feel they haven't been answered at all. When you wake up this Sunday ask yourself why you are really going to church. If the answer is not to grow closer to God and to improve you relationship with Christ then pray that God help you to actually want to go to church for Him. But after you ask God to do this you must also change. The action has to be mutual. God doesn't just fix all your problems when you ask, He helps you. So next time you sing, sing truthfully. Next time you sing, sing with all you've got. Next time you sing to God, let him no that the Holy Spirit is moving through you. Many people sing I Surrender all to you, all to you I give. But if you are not worshipping in spirit and in truth than you have not given your worship to God. When you do give everything up to God, he will make things better. These things may not be better you or your friends but they are all in the Will of God. Many people sing songs on the radio and at church that say daily I lift my hands to you. But how many times do you feel to scared to lift your hands in the house of God? How many times have you not reached toward God because no-one else was? Read 1 Peter 3:13-14 and let it sink into your heart. God says that He will protect you. He says do not fear to do good for who will harm you? Next time you want to raise your hands toward God remember this verse and worship God to the fullest with all you have. When you feel like just falling to your knees before the Lord God Almighty but are afraid of what others think, remember this verse and worship God to the fullest with all you have in spirit and in truth. |