When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died,...
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?...
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
Isaac Watts - When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
Like the first budding of Spring's dogwood blossoms from empty, dormant branches, Christ breathes new life into us. Love so amazing that words cannot capture the meaning.
Our sacrifice of praise ~
Consider His amazing creations, wordless and beauty-full and offer God your all !
~dho
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also His tunic. But the tunic was seamless woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfill the Scripture [Ps.22:18] . . . John 19:23-24 ESV
Today the pastor at St. Matthew's UMC in Madison, MS, the Rev. David Carroll, preached his sermon on "The Tunic and Dice" and used this phrase in describing the soldiers . . . and us when we choose the world's view of indifference instead of turning our eyes to Jesus, the crucified and risen Savior:
"The soldiers were . . . trading the True for the trivial."
Our sacrifice of praise ~
Let your daily witness to the world be one that trades the trivial things of this world for Jesus - the True! ~ dho
There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary--we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Romans 5:3-5 The Message
In the middle of life, with its delights and distractions, surrounded by wonder and wilderness, the moments come and go. How often do we shout our praise in difficult times? Scripture tells us these very troubles can teach us passionate patience. Some translations use "endurance." Through the struggles we can become stronger, even hope-full.
In alert expectancy reminds us that God's blessings, like His Faithfulness, are certain. We are to praise God in all circumstances, not for the despair or difficulty, not for the sadness or sorrow; rather, we are to praise God for His Everlasting Hope that endures troubles, that endures for eternity. We are to praise God for the countless blessings that have been and are to come. We are to praise God for the lessons of passionate patience which strengthen and renew. We are to praise God ~ for He alone is worthy of praise.
Our sacrifice of praise ~
Try to find enough containers to hold God's Goodness and Grace! ~dho
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Romans 12:12 NLT
Henry Nouwen writes:
The pains and struggles we encounter in our solitude thus become the way to hope, because our hope is not based on something that will happen after our sufferings are over, but on the real presence of God's healing Spirit in the midst of these sufferings. from Bringing Solitude into Our Lives
Our sacrifice of praise ~
Find a moment of silence - somewhere, somehow - and find Hope! ~ dho
He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes.
Deuteronomy 10:21 NLT
This season we have been thinking about a way to offer a sacrifice of praise as a way of remembering Christ and His Gift of Grace. One of my older daughter's favorite hymns is Worthy of Worship. Consider some of the words:
Worthy of worship, worthy of praise, worthy of honor and glory;
Worthy of all the glad songs we can sing, worthy of all of the off-'rings we bring . . .
Almighty Father, Master and Lord, King of all kings and Redeemer,
Wonderful Counselor, Comforter, Friend, Savior and Source of our life without end . . .
You are worthy, Father, Creator.
You are worthy, Savior, Sustainer.
You are worthy, worthy and wonderful;
Worthy of worship and praise.
words by: Terry W. York
Our sacrifice of praise ~
Lay down the relentless idols that shout for attention, idols that crave worldly worship and demand empty praise. For God alone is worthy, worthy of our worship and praise. ~dho
As the Holy Spirit descended to the gathering of followers that would be the beginning of Christ's church (Acts 2), Peter stood and began to remind the people of the prophetic telling from Joel. He talked about the wonders that were now known, about Jesus the Messiah, and recounted King David's testimony.
You have made known to me the ways of life; You will enrapture me [diffusing my soul with joy] with and in Your presence [Ps.16:8-11].
Acts 2:28 The Amplified Bible
I happened upon this quote by Alexander Solzhenitsyn:
The meaning of earthly existence lies, not as we have grown used to thinking, in prospering, but in the development of the soul.
Reading more about the Russian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, I discoverd a few facts from his autobiography (see link below). He always wanted to be a writer but circumstances directed his studies toward physics and mathmatics, all the while he studied history and philosophy and literature on the side. He graduated Rostov University with a degree in physics and mathmatics only days before WWII began.
Imprisoned for eight years for having political differences with Russia, he was exiled for another 3 years. All this time he taught mathmetics and physics, claimed this "rescued me from death." In time, Solzhenitsyn would be recognized for his writing, his long awaited dream. He wrote, "It is almost always impossible to evaluate at the time events which you have already experienced, and to understand their meaning with the guidance of their effects. All the more unpredictable and surprising to us will be the course of future events."
A lesson to take away is that God has a plan for the world ~ Christ, and God has a purpose for each of us ~ redemption. God wants to renew the soul of each person. The way this is accomplished is through our faith in Christ, the Son of God, the Savior, the Redeemer. God's purpose through us is revealed in many ways ~ through His design. Our limited minds cannot know the reasons or understand all that happens. We must trust that God will use us, if we seek the True and Living God. Through God's plan we are rescued from death. Our future through Christ is eternal life, and this is sure.
Our sacrifice of praise ~
Stand in the presence of God, ask Him, "Holy One, diffuse my soul with Your Joy!" This is true "soul-shine! ~dho
Link to autobiography: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1970/solzhenitsyn-autobio.html
