...it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ... ~I Peter 1: 18
I have been redeemed by the incorruptible blood of Christ to an incorruptible inheritance which makes possible an incorruptible faith so that I may serve an incorruptible King. One day, I will have an incorruptible body and lay an incorruptible crown at my King's feet. This is glorious and incorruptible truth, all revealed and activated through the incorruptible, eternal Word of God.
(I Peter 1:4-7, 23; I Timothy 1:17; I Corinthians 15:53;
I Corinthians 9:25)
Today, I cannot get away from the wonder of the incorruptible. Because I was born with a corruptible body and live in a corruptible world, it is hard to fathom the incorruptible...yet because of God's grace, I can know and live for the incorruptible!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Sandpaper Situations
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ~Hebrews 12:13-14 (NIV)
The admonishment from these verses reverberates within me. God gently says to me, "Crysta, child whom I love and desire to transform, get over yourself so that My grace can be expressed through you."
I have always had a strong sense of justice. I do not want others to be hurt or mistreated. I empathize with the pain of others and deeply grieve when I have been the cause of pain. But all too often, my sense of justice has been spent on myself: A threat is perceived, hurtful words are hurled, disrespectful treatment catches me by surprise and every nerve in my body cries for justice. Thoughts of defense and protection come to my mind, my feelings and emotions demand that I take up the fight against flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12 tells me that my fight is not against flesh and blood, so why does my flesh cry out for a roll-in-the-mud, let's-settle-this-now, flesh-and-blood fight?
James 4:1-3 asks this same question and gives a very powerful answer: What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn't it the whole army of evil desires that war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. (NLT)
Basically, when my flesh rises to take on a fight with flesh and blood, it is because I didn't get what I wanted. I coveted something different than what I was given. I wanted a different scenario. I was offered unkindness, I coveted kindness. I was ignored, I coveted attention. I was interrupted, I coveted respect. I looked at the situation, the hurt, the insult and said, "This is not just treatment." At this point, whether I recognized it or not, I took my eyes off of God's truth and God's way and wanted my own way. My heart, which a moment before was yielded to God, stood up in rebellion against this slight of injustice which God had allowed.
Is God unable to work for good in me or in this situation? Is God too weak to enable me to respond in service and kindness? Is this person too difficult for God to show mercy? To all three, the answer is No. Flesh and blood may have meant that hurt or insult for evil, but God, in His foreknowledge, meant it for good.
The hurts and insults that come into my days are sandpaper situations. In order to buff out the rough edges of self, these sandpaper situations are lovingly used by God so that Christ's beauty may smoothly flow from my life. When the pain of the sandpaper is at its greatest, the rough edges of self are the most predominant. When self has found its proper place of anonymity, the sandpaper slides smoothly across my soul producing greater reliance on the Giver of all good things.
In Genesis 4:3-5, Cain faced a sandpaper situation. Both Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord. Cain offered some of the fruits of his garden. Abel offered the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked on Abel's offering with favor, but He did not look on Cain's offering with this same favor. So enters the sandpaper. Cain wanted his own way AND recognition for his offering. He coveted the favor given to Abel. Instead of seeking to do what was right, he became angry because he did not receive what he coveted.
The Lord talked with Cain and admonished him, saying: "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:6, NIV)
Cain did not listen to the Lord's admonishment, instead he allowed sin to master him. As a result, he killed Abel - his own brother. Cain could not have two masters. He chose the master of sin over the Master of love.
The warning given to Cain rings in my own ears, yet God's mercy and offered grace beckons even louder. God will give me the grace and strength to stand against my own selfishness and covetousness, but I must submit to Him and resist Satan, the master of sin. God must be my only Master. (II Corinthians 10:3-5, II Corinthians 12:9-10, Hebrews 4:14-16, James 4:6-8)
The temptation to fight against flesh and blood is crouching at my door. Wanting the comfort of my own way, my soul will attempt to resist the sandpaper of submission and transformation, but grace...Grace reminds me that I have been bought with a price and my life is not my own.
I am graced to grace others. I am set apart to be a vessel of grace. The question is, will I get over myself and submit to the Sander and Lover of my soul that His grace can be expressed through me?
The admonishment from these verses reverberates within me. God gently says to me, "Crysta, child whom I love and desire to transform, get over yourself so that My grace can be expressed through you."
I have always had a strong sense of justice. I do not want others to be hurt or mistreated. I empathize with the pain of others and deeply grieve when I have been the cause of pain. But all too often, my sense of justice has been spent on myself: A threat is perceived, hurtful words are hurled, disrespectful treatment catches me by surprise and every nerve in my body cries for justice. Thoughts of defense and protection come to my mind, my feelings and emotions demand that I take up the fight against flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12 tells me that my fight is not against flesh and blood, so why does my flesh cry out for a roll-in-the-mud, let's-settle-this-now, flesh-and-blood fight?
James 4:1-3 asks this same question and gives a very powerful answer: What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn't it the whole army of evil desires that war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. (NLT)
Basically, when my flesh rises to take on a fight with flesh and blood, it is because I didn't get what I wanted. I coveted something different than what I was given. I wanted a different scenario. I was offered unkindness, I coveted kindness. I was ignored, I coveted attention. I was interrupted, I coveted respect. I looked at the situation, the hurt, the insult and said, "This is not just treatment." At this point, whether I recognized it or not, I took my eyes off of God's truth and God's way and wanted my own way. My heart, which a moment before was yielded to God, stood up in rebellion against this slight of injustice which God had allowed.
Is God unable to work for good in me or in this situation? Is God too weak to enable me to respond in service and kindness? Is this person too difficult for God to show mercy? To all three, the answer is No. Flesh and blood may have meant that hurt or insult for evil, but God, in His foreknowledge, meant it for good.
The hurts and insults that come into my days are sandpaper situations. In order to buff out the rough edges of self, these sandpaper situations are lovingly used by God so that Christ's beauty may smoothly flow from my life. When the pain of the sandpaper is at its greatest, the rough edges of self are the most predominant. When self has found its proper place of anonymity, the sandpaper slides smoothly across my soul producing greater reliance on the Giver of all good things.
In Genesis 4:3-5, Cain faced a sandpaper situation. Both Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord. Cain offered some of the fruits of his garden. Abel offered the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked on Abel's offering with favor, but He did not look on Cain's offering with this same favor. So enters the sandpaper. Cain wanted his own way AND recognition for his offering. He coveted the favor given to Abel. Instead of seeking to do what was right, he became angry because he did not receive what he coveted.
The Lord talked with Cain and admonished him, saying: "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:6, NIV)
Cain did not listen to the Lord's admonishment, instead he allowed sin to master him. As a result, he killed Abel - his own brother. Cain could not have two masters. He chose the master of sin over the Master of love.
The warning given to Cain rings in my own ears, yet God's mercy and offered grace beckons even louder. God will give me the grace and strength to stand against my own selfishness and covetousness, but I must submit to Him and resist Satan, the master of sin. God must be my only Master. (II Corinthians 10:3-5, II Corinthians 12:9-10, Hebrews 4:14-16, James 4:6-8)
The temptation to fight against flesh and blood is crouching at my door. Wanting the comfort of my own way, my soul will attempt to resist the sandpaper of submission and transformation, but grace...Grace reminds me that I have been bought with a price and my life is not my own.
I am graced to grace others. I am set apart to be a vessel of grace. The question is, will I get over myself and submit to the Sander and Lover of my soul that His grace can be expressed through me?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Kingdom Postcards
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments...are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ~Deuternonomy 6:5-7
Jesus told His disciples, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field..." (Matthew 13:31) A mustard seed. Small. Not eye-catching or newsworthy. Yet place a mustard seed in the hands of Jesus Christ and it became an opportunity to share Truth. Jesus saw everything in multiple dimensions: He viewed the seen and the unseen. A mustard seed not only had interesting physical properties, it also had spiritual applications. That little mustard seed could be used to teach the disciples about faith or to shed light on characteristics of the Kingdom of Heaven. That little mustard seed contained snapshots of Truth.
In the designs of the universe and the laws of nature, in our day-to-day occurrences, in the seemingly mundane, there are unlimited instances to view snapshots of Truth. Buried all around us, illustrations of the eternal and unseen are waiting to be unearthed by discerning hearts.
Psalm 51:6 says that God, who desires Truth in my inner parts, will teach me wisdom in my inmost places. When God's Truth seizes my heart, when it envelopes my hidden places, that same Truth will overflow from my life. God's Truth will transform my thoughts and grace my words. God's Truth will also enhance my vision, causing everyday circumstances and surroundings to metamorphose into Kingdom Postcards: pictures that increase understanding of and longing for God and His Kingdom, pictures that help me communicate His Truth to others.
The Truth that I put into my heart will affect everything that I see and everyone which I encounter -- When I sit at home or walk along the road, when I lie down and when I get up, this world that is not my home will give me glimpses, postcards, of the World for which I was made, and the One for whom my heart beats will incite occasions for me to share these Kingdom Postcards with each soul that He places into my life.
Jesus told His disciples, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field..." (Matthew 13:31) A mustard seed. Small. Not eye-catching or newsworthy. Yet place a mustard seed in the hands of Jesus Christ and it became an opportunity to share Truth. Jesus saw everything in multiple dimensions: He viewed the seen and the unseen. A mustard seed not only had interesting physical properties, it also had spiritual applications. That little mustard seed could be used to teach the disciples about faith or to shed light on characteristics of the Kingdom of Heaven. That little mustard seed contained snapshots of Truth.
In the designs of the universe and the laws of nature, in our day-to-day occurrences, in the seemingly mundane, there are unlimited instances to view snapshots of Truth. Buried all around us, illustrations of the eternal and unseen are waiting to be unearthed by discerning hearts.
Psalm 51:6 says that God, who desires Truth in my inner parts, will teach me wisdom in my inmost places. When God's Truth seizes my heart, when it envelopes my hidden places, that same Truth will overflow from my life. God's Truth will transform my thoughts and grace my words. God's Truth will also enhance my vision, causing everyday circumstances and surroundings to metamorphose into Kingdom Postcards: pictures that increase understanding of and longing for God and His Kingdom, pictures that help me communicate His Truth to others.
The Truth that I put into my heart will affect everything that I see and everyone which I encounter -- When I sit at home or walk along the road, when I lie down and when I get up, this world that is not my home will give me glimpses, postcards, of the World for which I was made, and the One for whom my heart beats will incite occasions for me to share these Kingdom Postcards with each soul that He places into my life.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thirst-Provoking Provision
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. ~Psalm 42:1-2a
The Lord has begun to widen my imaginations. The inception of this widening was sparked as I pondered on Matthew 6:33 and all the implications involved when considering the truth and precision of God's daily provision. I began to think about the days when I feel so wiped out, when my energy is truly depleted: in the past, I have just accepted these days. A true level of contentment has been mine because I trust God's goodness and I believe that He would not bring a time of pain or struggle unless there was purpose, a goodness that would blossom from such pain or struggle.
Yet, somewhere in my mind, I think I still considered these days of depleted energy to be days that contained a lack of something that was needed. I understand that God is always going to provide my greatest need and I believe that He is my greatest need...I want the provision of Him, but somehow my mentality was to still see illness and weakness as lack. Is it possible that illness is part of the provision? Could it be that what this perceived lack will bring about in and through me is exactly what I need, thus making the illness or weakness part of the provision?
I have come to believe that though I can rest in exactly what is provided for each day, there are times when I will not understand what God has provided, times when His provision will not be clearly seen. It is in those times that He wants me to seek Him more, seek to understand the provision, and trust that even when I do not come to a complete understanding of what is provided, I can rest in the knowledge that He is true to His promise and has provided precisely what is needed.
The Lord is rearranging my perspective, showing me that where He reigns supreme there is no lack -- there may be an expected comfort that is not present in my life, but this does not constitute lack. Whatever the Lord provides, this is truly what is needed. True lack is to cease seeking after God.
Oswald Chambers says, "If you ask for things from life instead of from God, you ask amiss, you ask from a desire for self-realization. The more you realize yourself the less you will seek God." Basically Chambers is saying, the one interest that should mark my life is a hard seeking after God. Whatever will cause me to know God more, whatever enhances my desire for Him, this is what I need. That is the essence of Matthew 5:6- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled. Whatever causes me to thirst more for God - be it illness, weakness, struggle, bounty, grace, beauty, love - is part of the blessing and is the grandest form of provision for it will result in sweet satisfaction of the soul.
The Lord has begun to widen my imaginations. The inception of this widening was sparked as I pondered on Matthew 6:33 and all the implications involved when considering the truth and precision of God's daily provision. I began to think about the days when I feel so wiped out, when my energy is truly depleted: in the past, I have just accepted these days. A true level of contentment has been mine because I trust God's goodness and I believe that He would not bring a time of pain or struggle unless there was purpose, a goodness that would blossom from such pain or struggle.
Yet, somewhere in my mind, I think I still considered these days of depleted energy to be days that contained a lack of something that was needed. I understand that God is always going to provide my greatest need and I believe that He is my greatest need...I want the provision of Him, but somehow my mentality was to still see illness and weakness as lack. Is it possible that illness is part of the provision? Could it be that what this perceived lack will bring about in and through me is exactly what I need, thus making the illness or weakness part of the provision?
I have come to believe that though I can rest in exactly what is provided for each day, there are times when I will not understand what God has provided, times when His provision will not be clearly seen. It is in those times that He wants me to seek Him more, seek to understand the provision, and trust that even when I do not come to a complete understanding of what is provided, I can rest in the knowledge that He is true to His promise and has provided precisely what is needed.
The Lord is rearranging my perspective, showing me that where He reigns supreme there is no lack -- there may be an expected comfort that is not present in my life, but this does not constitute lack. Whatever the Lord provides, this is truly what is needed. True lack is to cease seeking after God.
Oswald Chambers says, "If you ask for things from life instead of from God, you ask amiss, you ask from a desire for self-realization. The more you realize yourself the less you will seek God." Basically Chambers is saying, the one interest that should mark my life is a hard seeking after God. Whatever will cause me to know God more, whatever enhances my desire for Him, this is what I need. That is the essence of Matthew 5:6- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled. Whatever causes me to thirst more for God - be it illness, weakness, struggle, bounty, grace, beauty, love - is part of the blessing and is the grandest form of provision for it will result in sweet satisfaction of the soul.
Friday, May 21, 2010
A Load Off My Mind
Your heavenly Father knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. ~Matthew 6:32b-33~ (NLT)
I am a compiler of lists: to-do lists, grocery lists, lists of needs, lists of dreams -- and to my husband's chagrin, I have also been known to assemble very detailed honey-do lists.
In the last month, my to-do list has been quite long. There have been moments when a glimpse of the list would cause tears to well up in my eyes; the demands seemed to be more than I could wrap my mind around. Overwhelmed, wondering if my body would physically hold up under these growing demands, I poured out my burden and concern to the Lord. He first quieted my heart, and then He encouraged me with the truth of Matthew 6:33: Seek Me first and all that you need from day to day will be provided.
As my heart undividedly focuses on the Lord and His desires, not only will He provide the food and clothes needed for each day, He will also provide the strength and wisdom needed for each day. Though He will use today to prepare me for what will arise tomorrow, He will not provide tomorrow's strength today. Today, He will provide precisely what is needed for this day. He gives exactly what is needed exactly when it is needed. Tomorrow will have new cares and demands. The strength and wisdom needed for tomorrow's cares will be given tomorrow.
Seek Him first and everything needed from day to day will be provided -- this is a promise. I can rest in what is provided for today (knowing that it will be no more and no less than what is needed -- it will be exactly right), and I can rest knowing that, beautifully, tomorrow will also be marked by this same provision.
Even when my lists feel insurmountable, they are never bigger than my God. When my lists do feel insurmountable, I have come to realize that this is either because I am expecting provision that is not necessary for today or I am not surrendering my day, and my list, to the Lord.
When my list is surrendered to the Lord, when I am trusting Him to decide what really needs to be checked off of today's list, then I can rest assured that any and everything that truly needs to be accomplished will be accomplished -- and that is definitely a load off my mind (and heart!).
I am a compiler of lists: to-do lists, grocery lists, lists of needs, lists of dreams -- and to my husband's chagrin, I have also been known to assemble very detailed honey-do lists.
In the last month, my to-do list has been quite long. There have been moments when a glimpse of the list would cause tears to well up in my eyes; the demands seemed to be more than I could wrap my mind around. Overwhelmed, wondering if my body would physically hold up under these growing demands, I poured out my burden and concern to the Lord. He first quieted my heart, and then He encouraged me with the truth of Matthew 6:33: Seek Me first and all that you need from day to day will be provided.
As my heart undividedly focuses on the Lord and His desires, not only will He provide the food and clothes needed for each day, He will also provide the strength and wisdom needed for each day. Though He will use today to prepare me for what will arise tomorrow, He will not provide tomorrow's strength today. Today, He will provide precisely what is needed for this day. He gives exactly what is needed exactly when it is needed. Tomorrow will have new cares and demands. The strength and wisdom needed for tomorrow's cares will be given tomorrow.
Seek Him first and everything needed from day to day will be provided -- this is a promise. I can rest in what is provided for today (knowing that it will be no more and no less than what is needed -- it will be exactly right), and I can rest knowing that, beautifully, tomorrow will also be marked by this same provision.
Even when my lists feel insurmountable, they are never bigger than my God. When my lists do feel insurmountable, I have come to realize that this is either because I am expecting provision that is not necessary for today or I am not surrendering my day, and my list, to the Lord.
When my list is surrendered to the Lord, when I am trusting Him to decide what really needs to be checked off of today's list, then I can rest assured that any and everything that truly needs to be accomplished will be accomplished -- and that is definitely a load off my mind (and heart!).
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Vast Is His Love
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed...It was about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last...Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices so that they might go to annoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen. He is not here."...God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him...And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever...For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him...Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. (Isaiah 53:3-5, Luke 23:44-46, Mark 16:1-8, Acts 2:24, Isaiah 9:6b-7, John 3:16-17, Isaiah 12:5)
How vast the depth and richness of this Love! This Love went to the edge, to the very extreme, that I could know Him. To save me, Love was willing to pay the ultimate price. What alteration Love experienced that I might know true change; what loss He endured that I might become a partaker of His inheritance! Words are insufficient, none are lovely or worthy enough to describe such a Love. I am enraptured by this Love. O, Love, that will not let me go, my cup runneth over~
How vast the depth and richness of this Love! This Love went to the edge, to the very extreme, that I could know Him. To save me, Love was willing to pay the ultimate price. What alteration Love experienced that I might know true change; what loss He endured that I might become a partaker of His inheritance! Words are insufficient, none are lovely or worthy enough to describe such a Love. I am enraptured by this Love. O, Love, that will not let me go, my cup runneth over~
Monday, March 8, 2010
Praise
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. ~ Revelation 4:11~
Praise is not only the song of rejoicing, it is also the song of surrender. Today, this thought filled my heart and mind as I read the words of Revelation 4:11. Praise is recognition of who God is and what He has done. My Lord is always deserving of praise. Though my circumstances may change, He never changes. He is ever worthy to receive glory and honor.
My words of praise are too easily depleted by unexpected circumstances and uncertain outcomes. Yet praise should not be determined by my circumstances, rather praise should be an overflow of my unwavering conviction that God is everything that He says He is and does all things exactly as they should be done.
In the midst of disappointment and distraction, if I will take a moment to recognize the character, attributes and promises of God, my focus will be shifted toward praise. With that moment of proper recognition, my attention is also put in the proper place: dwelling on my situation is transformed into meditating on the One who is in control of that situation.
There are so many things vying for my attention, wanting to rule and guide in my thought processes, but only God can bring order and organization to my thoughts. My mood and outlook can be radically changed by taking only a minute to acknowledge the Lord; that minute will affect the next minute, and thus the foundation is laid for a cycle of praise.
David Jeremiah says, "The best way to be fluent in the language of praise in heaven is to begin practicing here on earth". Praise is a language which needs no translator, it transcends nation, tribe and tongue. I want to be fluent in this language. I want to bring pure praise to the One who has given me true life. So, right now, in this minute, I will begin practicing this song of rejoicing and surrender. May the jingle of its tune take such a hold that I will not be able to get it out of my thoughts.
~Lord, you are worthy of all my praise; may every breath I breathe be a breath of surrender, a breath of acknowledgement that you alone reign, you alone perform good work. There is no other like you -- You are I AM, the First and the Last, Creator, Provider, Savior, Redeemer -- You alone do all things well. I praise you~
Praise is not only the song of rejoicing, it is also the song of surrender. Today, this thought filled my heart and mind as I read the words of Revelation 4:11. Praise is recognition of who God is and what He has done. My Lord is always deserving of praise. Though my circumstances may change, He never changes. He is ever worthy to receive glory and honor.
My words of praise are too easily depleted by unexpected circumstances and uncertain outcomes. Yet praise should not be determined by my circumstances, rather praise should be an overflow of my unwavering conviction that God is everything that He says He is and does all things exactly as they should be done.
In the midst of disappointment and distraction, if I will take a moment to recognize the character, attributes and promises of God, my focus will be shifted toward praise. With that moment of proper recognition, my attention is also put in the proper place: dwelling on my situation is transformed into meditating on the One who is in control of that situation.
There are so many things vying for my attention, wanting to rule and guide in my thought processes, but only God can bring order and organization to my thoughts. My mood and outlook can be radically changed by taking only a minute to acknowledge the Lord; that minute will affect the next minute, and thus the foundation is laid for a cycle of praise.
David Jeremiah says, "The best way to be fluent in the language of praise in heaven is to begin practicing here on earth". Praise is a language which needs no translator, it transcends nation, tribe and tongue. I want to be fluent in this language. I want to bring pure praise to the One who has given me true life. So, right now, in this minute, I will begin practicing this song of rejoicing and surrender. May the jingle of its tune take such a hold that I will not be able to get it out of my thoughts.
~Lord, you are worthy of all my praise; may every breath I breathe be a breath of surrender, a breath of acknowledgement that you alone reign, you alone perform good work. There is no other like you -- You are I AM, the First and the Last, Creator, Provider, Savior, Redeemer -- You alone do all things well. I praise you~
