In view of God's Mercy

I don't think we could really experience His presence in worship if it wasn't for His mercy. It is through mercy, we don't get what we truly deserve. And through God's mercy, He is saving us from what we really deserve, hell. If we didn't have God's mercy than we would be destined for Hell. Our worship might be very heavily tainted if that were the case. But through both grace and mercy, Christ's death and resurrection have saved us from justice.

Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Because of God's mercy, we are to offer our bodies up as living sacrifices. Daily we need to recognize that our bodies are to be used as a sacrifice to God. 


1 Peter 1:3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." So when Christ died and we were born again, in accordance to His mercy, a living hope in Jesus. It is so amazing and such a blessing to be saved from the hell we deserve because our God had amazing grace on us.


Tim Hughes wrote a song called "Living for Your Glory." There is a line in that song that says, "In view of God's mercy, I give you my all." It is because He has shown mercy on us that He deserves the praise. In the chorus of the song it says, "Take my life, let it be, everything all of me. Here I am, use me for Your glory," We get to do that everyday. Just ask God to use us to bring Him glory.

A Living Sacrifice

Romans 12

A Living Sacrifice

 ¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I have been studying these verses quite intently over the past weekend. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Hume Lake Christian Camp as a counselor for my church's high school group. I had been to this camp before as a camper but that was when i was in high school. So about 6 years ago. A lot has changed at that camp since I was student. But the one thing that has remained is the presence of God when these students come into the chapel services. It was truly a blessing to see what God was doing in the lives of these young people. 

The theme of this year was "living an aweful life," that is a life full of awe to the Creator. The speaker did a great job at presenting a relatable message but also a convicting message. He didn't water it down in the least bit. He wanted to make it clear to the students that worship wasn't just singing on sunday morning, but it was how we lived day to day. Our bodies are to be the temple where our worship happens.

The main verse was Romans 12:1-2, "...in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." These words spoke to me in so many different ways. I took them in from the prospective of a man, a husband, a father, a leader, and a friend. We must be living sacrifices to God daily because He has shown mercy on us. 

Through everything that I had going through my mind at camp, I still had all of the things I was reading and learning about in this class. I felt God really putting on my heart what it means for this to be our true and proper worship. It was almost things I already knew but I really needed to hear that truth again. I was encouraged to not take my worship leading lightly. It deserves time and preparation because it is for God. If we take that same concept to all forms of worship, we will really be worshipping God the way He deserves to be praised.

New Blogs

Well my class on the psalms has ended and now i will begin  a new class called "Toward a Theology of Worship." I will keep posting my blogs but they will move onto this new topic. I just started this class but i am already really enjoying everything about it. I will have primarily two kinds of blogs. One will be a reflection on what i have learned from the previous week, through my text book, other books, the bible, videos, and personal life. Very excited about the freedom with that. And  the other blogs will be about a certain topic and how it applies to worship. So i am looking forward to the next few months and i hope you enjoy these blogs as much i have enjoyed learning and writing them.

word,
Steve

Psalm 119 Resh

^153-160 Take a good look at my trouble, and help me— 
      I haven't forgotten your revelation. 
   Take my side and get me out of this; 
      give me back my life, just as you promised. 
   "Salvation" is only gibberish to the wicked 
      because they've never looked it up in your dictionary. 
   Your mercies, God, run into the billions; 
      following your guidelines, revive me. 
   My antagonists are too many to count, 
      but I don't swerve from the directions you gave. 
   I took one look at the quitters and was filled with loathing; 
      they walked away from your promises so casually! 
   Take note of how I love what you tell me; 
      out of your life of love, prolong my life. 
   Your words all add up to the sum total: Truth. 
      Your righteous decisions are eternal.


In this part of psalm 119, the psalmist is praying to God that he be delivered from his trespasses. He tells God, "Look at my troubles and help me. I haven't forgotten your revelation." He is begging God to bail him out of his sorrows. He claims he hasn't forgotten God's promise and revelation. He goes onto to speak about how the wicked do not seek after God. But he says that God is so great it doesn't even matter to him. 


He says that he looks at the faithless in disgust, for they walk away from God so ignorantly. They do not understand what they are missing. But because we have held fast to His love, He will give us life. He asks God to prolong his life because he has clung to God's word. And he says that God's words add up to the truth. He closes by saying, "...and every one of your righteous rules endures forever."


From these verses we can see that we know that God will deliver us from our transgressions. Even when the world doesn't care about God, it doesn't mean anything to us. We know the absolute truth, He is God. If we hold fast to His love, He will provide for us. We know that God's word is truth and that His rules will endure forever.

Lets Get A Party Started- Psalm 149

Psalm 149

Sing to the LORD a New Song

 ¹ Praise the LORD! 
Sing to the LORD a new song, 
   his praise in the assembly of the godly! 
² Let Israel be glad in his Maker; 
   let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! 
³ Let them praise his name with dancing, 
   making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! 
⁴ For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; 
   he adorns the humble with salvation. 
⁵ Let the godly exult in glory; 
   let them sing for joy on their beds. 
⁶ Let the high praises of God be in their throats 
   and two-edged swords in their hands, 
⁷ to execute vengeance on the nations 
   and punishments on the peoples, 
⁸ to bind their kings with chains 
   and their nobles with fetters of iron, 
⁹ to execute on them the judgment written! 
   This is honor for all his godly ones. 
Praise the LORD!


I wanted to add the message paraphrase as well, it is important to that the message is not the most accurate translation. It is more of a paraphrase and can bring certain verses into new light for me. So i may not be a good study bible but it can be a good study tool like a commentary.

Psalm 149

    Hallelujah! Sing to God a brand-new song,
      praise him in the company of all who love him.
   Let all Israel celebrate their Sovereign Creator,
      Zion's children exult in their King.
   Let them praise his name in dance;
      strike up the band and make great music!
   And why? Because God delights in his people,
      festoons plain folk with salvation garlands!

 ^5-9 Let true lovers break out in praise,
      sing out from wherever they're sitting,
   Shout the high praises of God,
      brandish their swords in the wild sword-dance—
   A portent of vengeance on the God-defying nations,
      a signal that punishment's coming,
   Their kings chained and hauled off to jail,
      their leaders behind bars for good,
   The judgment on them carried out to the letter
      —and all who love God in the seat of honor!
   Hallelujah!


Psalm 149 is the second to the last song, and it definitely gets it ready to come to a close. The psalmist is just so excited to praise the Lord. I really love the energy of The Message paraphrase of the first two verses, "Hallelujah! Sing to God a brand-new song, praise him in the company of all who love him. Let all Israel celebrate their Sovereign Creator, Zion's children exult in their King."  The psalmist is exclaiming that we must praise the Lord, with new songs from our hearts. We need to sing these praise songs in the company of those who share in our love for God. We need to celebrate the creator and the fact that we are His creation. He goes onto say in verses 3 and 4, that God will take great pleasure in seeing His people worship Him. He loves to see us worship with a heart that will shake the earth, that will change the culture we live in. I honestly believe that this is the kind of worship God wants us to have, culture changing worship.

From 5-9, we see a shift in the psalmists direction. He talks about the godly people exulting God by unleashing His judgement on the evil of the world. This is our praise to Him. The message puts verses 5 and 6 like this, "Let true lovers break out in praise, sing out from wherever they're sitting. Shout the high praises of God, brandish their swords in the wild sword-dance" In our praises we will unleash our sword, the word of God, onto the nations. It continues to talk about executing vengeance on the nations who will not repent from their evil ways. After all of this celebration, the psalmist closes the psalm, "This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the Lord!"

Like all of the psalms, this one encourages me so much to make music for Him. It also challenges me to expand my worship. It challenges me to make my worship more than just the songs i sing or write. It makes me want to write songs that show the world His greatness. But to also live my life as a life of worship to Him. Because words can say a lot, but how we live and how we love will overall be how the world will see the love of our awesome God. This is definitely what I have taken from all of the psalms, these were real people. Real people that didn't want to write songs about theology of the church, they wrote songs of praise to God. Because that is what was on their hearts

Show them Your Grace Graffiti!

Psalm 17

A David Prayer

 ^1-2 Listen while I build my case, God, the most honest prayer you'll ever hear.
   Show the world I'm innocent—
      in your heart you know I am.

 ³ Go ahead, examine me from inside out,
      surprise me in the middle of the night—
   You'll find I'm just what I say I am.
      My words don't run loose.

 ^4-5 I'm not trying to get my way
      in the world's way.
   I'm trying to get your way,
      your Word's way.
   I'm staying on your trail;
      I'm putting one foot
   In front of the other.
      I'm not giving up.

 ^6-7 I call to you, God, because I'm sure of an answer.
      So—answer! bend your ear! listen sharp!
   Paint grace-graffiti on the fences;
      take in your frightened children who
   Are running from the neighborhood bullies
      straight to you.

 ^8-9 Keep your eye on me;
      hide me under your cool wing feathers
   From the wicked who are out to get me,
      from mortal enemies closing in.

 ^10-14 Their hearts are hard as nails,
      their mouths blast hot air.
   They are after me, nipping my heels,
      determined to bring me down,
   Lions ready to rip me apart,
      young lions poised to pounce.
   Up, God: beard them! break them!
      By your sword, free me from their clutches;
   Barehanded, God, break these mortals,
      these flat-earth people who can't think beyond today.   I'd like to see their bellies
      swollen with famine food,
   The weeds they've sown
      harvested and baked into famine bread,
   With second helpings for their children
      and crusts for their babies to chew on.

 ¹⁵ And me? I plan on looking
      you full in the face. When I get up,
   I'll see your full stature
      and live heaven on earth

In psalm 17, we see David praying about how his enemies have come upon him, and lifts up praises to God for protecting him. We see in the first seven verses David asking God to hear his cry. He begs God to just hear him. Verse 5 reads, "My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped." He is telling God that he has not let the world cause him to stumble. 

And in verses 6-7, David knows that God will hear him. He asks God to make Himself known to his enemies. The message translation says, " I call to you, God, because I'm sure of an answer. So—answer! bend your ear! listen sharp! Paint grace-graffiti on the fences; take in your frightened children who are running from the neighborhood bullies straight to you." I love that term "paint grace-graffiti." I get an image God making Himself as visible as the graffiti you see on the side of the free way. It is just an interesting kind of language.  

Through the remaining verses, David asks God to keep under His wing of protection. He wants protection from his enemies who he knows are hiding ready to tear him apart like lions. He says that even though they find their joy in their sinful abundance, he knows that God will have the final word. David closes saying that regardless of what his enemies say or do to him, that he will look God in the face every morning and see the fullness of God. He will know he is in the likeness of Him. 

From these verses, I get a feeling that sometime it will seem as God is not listening to our pleas. But even when our enemies are living lavishly and ready to destroy us, that we can seek refuge in the arms of Christ. He will protect of destruction. And everyday we will wake, and we will have to look into the face of God and know that He is there.

How Awesome Are Your Deeds- Psalms 66

Psalm 66

How Awesome Are Your Deeds

    To the choirmaster. A Song. A Psalm.

 ¹ Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
 ² sing the glory of his name;
   give to him glorious praise!
³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
   So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
⁴ All the earth worships you
   and sings praises to you;
   they sing praises to your name.”
                         Selah

 ⁵ Come and see what God has done:
   he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land;
   they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
 ⁷ who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
   let not the rebellious exalt themselves.
                         Selah

 ⁸ Bless our God, O peoples;
   let the sound of his praise be heard,
⁹ who has kept our soul among the living
   and has not let our feet slip.
¹⁰ For you, O God, have tested us;
   you have tried us as silver is tried.
¹¹ You brought us into the net;
   you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
¹² you let men ride over our heads;
   we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

 ¹³ I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
   I will perform my vows to you,
¹⁴ that which my lips uttered
   and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
¹⁵ I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
   with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats.
                         Selah

 ¹⁶ Come and hear, all you who fear God,
   and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
¹⁷ I cried to him with my mouth,
   and high praise was on^[a] my tongue.^[b]
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
   the Lord would not have listened.
¹⁹ But truly God has listened;
   he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

 ²⁰ Blessed be God,
   because he has not rejected my prayer
   or removed his steadfast love from me!

I feel like this psalm can be split up into three parts. In verses 1-7, the psalmist praises God for His sovereign power in all creation. Verses 8-12 talks about God's favor to His church. And in verses 13-20, he brings it back to his personal praise for his own experience of God's goodness. 

In the first set verses, the words that stick out to me the most are "glory," "awesome," and "praise." Even the first words almost jump off the page at you, "Shout for joy to God, all the earth." I can see the excitement there. He is literally shouting to God, praising Him for all He has done. The psalmist wants the whole world to know of the mighty deeds that God has done.

In verses 8-12, he turns his attention to God's blessing on the church. He begs God's people to lift their praises to Him for He has provided for us abundantly. He says that God has tested us, laid a burden on our backs and let evil men walk over us. But through all of it, He has brought us to a place of abundance. After all of our trials, God has provided for us. These verse are great reminders of why we should praise God, because He has blessed us tremendously and what we must lay down for Him is completely worth it.

Verses 13-20 are the things that the psalmist promises to do. A lot of the verses begin with, "I will..." He talks about the offerings that he will bring God. He calls the people to come to him, and he will proclaim to them what God has done for his soul. He will tell them how he cried to God and God listened. God attended to the voice of his prayer. It closes with these great words, "Blessed be God, Because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!"