That One!!

Stop dimming your worship to match the room.

If they won’t lift their hands, you still can.

If they won’t kneel, you still can.

If they won’t shout, you still can.

Your praise isn’t crowd-dependent.

It’s covenant based.

You don’t need permission to adore Jesus.

You don’t need the atmosphere to be right.

You don’t need everyone else to go first.

You are not called to read the temperature.

You are called to set it.

Worship is not about fitting in.

It’s about pouring out.

Loud.

Quiet.

On your face.

With tears in your eyes.

It’s between you and Him.

And sometimes the breakthrough in the room

is waiting on one person

brave enough

to go first.

Be that one.

[Natalie Breckenridge]

John 4:24 ... God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Psalm 29:2 ... Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Psalm 150:1 ... Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. 

Psalm 134:2 ... Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. ❤

Spiritual Singing

Does not one have to be in the right mood for singing, either to engage in it personally or to enjoy that of others? Such is the idea which prevails generally among professing Christians. From one standpoint, it is of course true but from another, it is not so. But surely no one sings when he is thoroughly miserable, unless he forces himself to do so. 

Ah, is not that exactly what the worldling would say? It is! and, sad to say, the great majority of church members hold the same view, which only evidences the carnality of their conceptions. Are the children of God in no better case than the children of the devil? Are they too "creatures of circumstances," swayed by the situation in which they find themselves, a prey to their feelings? But must not one be in a cheerful frame in order to really sing? 

Yes, to sing naturally. But does not the saint require to be on the mount, before he can break forth into spiritual song? Such questions indicate how unscriptural the thoughts of most people on this subject are: they reduce singing to a mere physical exercise, an outburst of their natural emotions. Christians are bidden to delight themselves in the LORD (Psalm 37:4); and if they really do so, songs of praise are bound to spring up in their hearts. That it is not God's will that His children should be miserable, is clear from the fact that the service of song is an ordinance of worship; both under the old covenant and the new. (1Chronicles 6:31, Ephesians 5:19) 

Singing is an act by which the soul renders homage, and the heart adores the glorious One 

[A. W. Pink]

                                                    Jasper Silas Neal ©2017

Psalm 96:1 ... O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

Psalm 28:7 ... The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

James 5:13 ...  Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. ❤

Priceless Jewel in Worship

Heart worship is the most precious thing in the sight of God. The only worship that God accepts is that priceless jewel the love and devotion of the heart. Nor is it hard to see why it is so; for it is plain that if a man had kept all the rituals of the Mosaic law, yet he might not be a sincere worshiper of God at all. He might drive whole flocks of his sheep to the temple to sacrifice; and yet he might feel no love or reverence for the Highest God. 

It has been proved times without number, that the most careful and zealous attention to external religious ceremonies, is quite consistent with the absolute absence of any true communion with God, and hearty love for Him. The conscious lack of inward, vital, and saving grace may even drive a man to a more intense zeal in religious formalities, in order to conceal the sins in his heart. It is written, "Israel has forsaken his Maker, and builds temples." You would think that if a man would build temples, then he must love and reverence God. But it is not so. Beneath the folds of priestly vestments, ordained ministers often attempt to cover over their wicked hearts. 

Fine music often proceeds from proud hearts. The smoke of incense often becomes a cloud which attempts to conceal a man from the face of God. It is no doubt that certain rich men who give large contributions to religious causes, often do it in pride to show off their wealth, or to display their generosity. A large monetary gift might be nothing more than a bid for popular esteem and so it is a mere offering to selfishness and vanity. With such sacrifices, God is not pleased. 

Alas, how easy it is to defile the worship of God, until it becomes an odious stench to Him. Singers may lift up their sweet voices, so that others may hear how charmingly they sing. Ministers may preach with eloquence, so that they may be admired for their exquisite speech. Believers may even pray devoutly, so that their fellow Christians may see how pious they are. 

Alas! This blight of SELF may come into any and every part of religious service and turn the worship of God into an occasion for self-glorification! 

[Charles H. Spurgeon]

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John 4:23-24 ... But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.   God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Matthew 15:8-9 ... This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Philippians 3:3 ... For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. ❤

"Unfettered"

1. Let your praise be unfettered.

2. Let your worship be unfettered.

3. Let your prayers be unfettered.

4. Let your reading of the word be unfettered.

5. Let your service to God and others be unfettered.

6. Let your acknowledgement of His Presence be unfettered.

7. Let your sharing of His goodness be unfettered in your time, talents, and giftings.

(*) Unfettered

A fetter is a chain or shackle for the feet (such as the kind sometimes used on a prisoner), or, more broadly, anything that confines or restrains. Fetter and unfetter both function as verbs in English with contrasting literal meanings having to do with the putting on of and freeing from fetters; they likewise have contrasting figurative extensions having to do with the depriving and granting of freedom. The adjective unfettered resides mostly in the figurative, with the word typically describing someone or something unrestrained in progress or personal relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

[message from the Internet]

John 8:36 ...  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

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Worshippers ...

Worshippers never leave church. We carry our sanctuary wherever we go. We are His witnesses; we are His Church. 

Let us therefore go out and be the church as we carry the gospel to the world. 

[A. W. Tozer]

Isaiah 43:10 ... Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

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Rejoice!!

 To Rejoice is a Choice.

Philippians 4:4 ... Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

Matthew 5:12 ... Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Romans 5:2 ... By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ❤

Worship The Lord!!

Worship will get you through the roughest times in your life because it shifts your focus from your problem to the Problem Solver.

[message from the Internet]

Philippians 3:3 ...  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Isaiah 41:10 ... Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. ❤

Fragrant Lives.

Regardless of the reaction of others, one thing is certain: True worship and devotion will make our lives fragrant and will perfume the environment around us. Our homes, our churches, even our places of work will bear the sweet scent of our devotion. Most important, the Lord Jesus will be pleased. And ultimately that is all that really matters.

[Nancy Leigh DeMoss]

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Hebrews 13:16 ... But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Ephesians 5:2 ...  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Psalm 29:2 ... Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. ❤

Nature's Church

Did you ever see the mountains that are covered up with snow, or see a sun set in the West with purple afterglow? 

Have you ever seen a newborn calf a-wobbling to its feet, and though it's only minutes old it knows just where to eat? 

You can't climb upon a saddle horse and cross the prairie sod, or see an eagle on the wing and not believe in God. 

A cowboy doesn't worship in a building made of stone, but worships with his Maker out with nature all alone. 

His church is in the great outdoors; the valley, heaven's gate, his favorite hymn's a coyote that is calling to its mate. 

He makes his own communion as a choir of songbirds sing, as he cups his hands and drinks the fresh cold water from a spring. 

With the budding of the springtime and with autumn's goldenrod a cowboy lives with nature and the wonders of his God. 

So, when you hear a meadowlark that's singing from his perch, he's inviting you to worship with him there at Nature's Church. 

 [Yvonne Hollenbeck]

Cowboys 4 Christ

Psalm 29:2 ... Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. ❤

Worship God.

Worship must not be designed to to please the unbeliever or the believer.  Worship should be designed to please God.

[R. C. Sproul]

John 4:24 ... God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Psalm 96:8 ... Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.❤

Goosies!

When you worship God in truth, you will feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

John 4:24 ...  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. ❤

Reflects.

Worship is no longer worship when it reflects the culture around us more than the Christ within us.

[A. W. Tozer]

John 4:24 ... God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

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Fill My Life With Thee

Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God,

In every part with praise,

That my whole being may proclaim

Thy being and Thy ways.

Not for the lip of praise alone,

Nor e’en the praising heart

I ask, but for a life made up

Of praise in every part!

Praise in the common words I speak,

Life’s common looks and tones,

In fellowship in hearth and board

With my belovèd ones;

Not in the temple crowd alone

Where holy voices chime,

But in the silent paths of earth,

The quiet rooms of time.

Fill every part of me with praise;

Let all my being speak

Of Thee and of Thy love, O Lord,

Poor though I be, and weak.

So shalt Thou, Lord, from me, e’en me,

Receive the glory due;

And so shall I begin on earth

The song forever new.

So shall each fear, each fret, each care

Be turned into a song,

And every winding of the way

The echo shall prolong;

So shall no part of day or night

From sacredness be free;

But all my life, in every step

Be fellowship with Thee.

[Horatius Bonar]

Psalm 150:6 ...  Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. ❤

See His Hand

Go out in His Spirit and give Him your fears. Never forget that He goes before you and behind you. You are His Child and He covers your needs. Release anxiety and fear. Go with Him and He will go with you. Worship Him and rejoice in your many blessings. Fill your heart with thanksgiving. 

Line the walls with His many miracles and live in its beauty. Heaven sees and saturates in His saving love. Worship brings the radiance of His glory, and dissipates the fog of fear and lies. The enemy wants to fill your house with fear. Reject feeding fear. Remove all worldly banners that cause fear and anger. 

Saturate in His love and see His hand in all things. Be grateful and thankful. It is not your job to worry. It pays you nothing, and in fact it causes you to sink in the debt of darkness and depression. Quit that job, even now. You were made to Worship. Freedom, Joy and Peace are His real gifts He gives to you, His child. Open them daily.

 [Troi Nelson Cockayne]

1 Peter 5:7 ... Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

 Psalm 29:2 ... Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.❤

Just Do It!!

How can we know what Jesus says? We cannot hear His voice as the servants at the wedding heard it.

He speaks now to us in His Word, and the reverent heart may always hear what He says as the sacred pages are prayerfully pondered.

He speaks in the conscience that is kept tender by loyal obeying.

He speaks in the providence which brings the present duty to our hand.

There never is any real uncertainty as to what He says, if we are truly intent on knowing His will.

"Whatever He says to you, do it!!" It is the doing which is important. We should never ask questions nor make suggestions, when Jesus has spoken, the one thing for us is obedience. We should never ask what the consequences may be, or what it may cost us we are simply to obey. Jesus knows why He wants us to do the thing and that should be reason enough for us.

[J. R. Miller]

John 14:15 … If ye love me, keep my commandments

John 2:5 … His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.❤

Family Worship

An old writer well said, "A family without prayer is like a house without a roof open and exposed to all storms." All our domestic comforts and temporal mercies issue from the loving-kindness of the Lord. The best we can do in return is to gratefully acknowledge His goodness to us as a family.

Family worship should be conducted reverently, earnestly and simply. It is then that the little ones will receive their first impressions and form their initial conceptions of the Lord God. Great care needs to be taken lest a false idea be given to them of the Divine Character. For this, the balance must be preserved between dwelling upon His holiness, and His mercy, His power, and His tenderness, His justice, and His grace.

Worship should begin with a few words of prayer invoking God's presence and blessing. A short passage from His Word should follow, with brief comments thereon.  Two or three verses of a Psalm or hymn may be sung.  Close with a prayer of committal into the hands of God. Though we may not be able to pray eloquently, we should pray earnestly. Prevailing prayers are usually brief ones. Beware of wearying the young ones.

The advantages and blessings of family worship are incalculable. Family worship 

will prevent much sin, conveys a sense of God's majesty and authority, sets solemn Scripture truths before the mind, brings down benefits from God on the home.

Personal piety in the home is a most influential means, under God, of conveying piety to the little ones.

Children are largely creatures of imitation, copying what they see in their parents so good instructions must always be accompanied by godly example. That teaching which issues only from the lips alone, is not at all likely to sink any deeper than the ears. Children are particularly quick to detect inconsistencies, and despise hypocrisy. How Christian parents need to be constantly on their guard against anything which might render them contemptible in the eyes of those who should respect and revere them!

[Arthur Pink]

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 … And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

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Real Worship

How do you get out of the religious rut? You get out of the rut by giving God your all, letting God have you completely. Concentrate your whole life on God and His Son Jesus Christ. Then seek to know the sweet fascination of loving God. You cannot stay asleep very long when the beauty of Jesus is before your eyes. Some have been asleep long enough.

If you could only wake to the voice of your Beloved. If you could only be awakened and roused and hear Him speak, it would be sweeter than the voice of the mocking bird, sweeter than the sound of the harp. The voice of God’s Son that would get you out of the rut, and that would get you out of your sleep. Jesus Christ is God’s music, God’s poetry, God’s art, God’s beauty, God’s all.

[A.W. Tozer]

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Romans 12:1 ... I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

John 4:24 ... God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Philippians 3:3 ... For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. ❤

Stooping Down

I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other and that the taller we grew in Christian character, the more easily we should reach them. I find now that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other and that is not a question of growing taller, but of stooping lower and that we have to go down, always down to get His best ones. 

[F. B. Meyer]

Psalm 95:6 ... O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

Mark 1:40-41 ... And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.  And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

Ephesians 3:14-16 ...  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;❤

Genuine Worship

We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the psalms, and that the habit of celebrating the greatness and graciousness of God yields an endless flow of thankfulness, joy, and zeal.

[J. I. Packer]

Psalm 95:6 ... O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

Psalm 99:5 ...  Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

Psalm 66:4 ...  All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

John 4:23-24 ... But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.❤

Sacrificial Praise

Praise and worship can sometimes be a sacrifice, because we don’t want to do it. That might be because we are depressed or because things aren’t going well. But the Bible does not say we are to give thanks to the Lord because we feel good. It says, "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good."

[Greg Laurie]

Psalm 107:1 ...  O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 27:6 ... And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

Hebrews 13:5 ... By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ... In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.❤