March 2019 Archives
The Best Gift
I am not a Barbara Streisand fan, but I grew up listening to her Christmas album. On that record, she included a song titled “The Best Gift” in which she goes on to describe the best gift that she ever got. At the end, she reveals that this gift was “a tiny newborn child.” (If you need me to explain what a record is, let me know.) 😉
Although I have received a lot of nice gifts in my 45 3/4 years of life, the best gift I ever received was the gift of salvation, made possible by Jesus Christ coming to earth and being willing to die a horrendous death on a cross. If you have never studied crucifixion and why it was the Roman’s choice of death, I encourage you to do so. It isn’t a pleasant study but it makes Jesus’ death even more meaningful. It wasn’t like a lethal injection where you die in a matter of minutes. Rather, it was a form of torture in which criminals died a slow, painful, suffocating death.
I realize that it’s not even Palm Sunday yet but I think it’s a good time to begin to think of Christ’s sacrifice, to thank Him for choosing us to be His children, and to ask Him how we can serve Him better.
I started this back in December around Christmastime but I think it’s perfect timing to finish it now. If you take communion in the next few weeks, don’t do it out of routine. Really think about the event that you are commemorating. Picture Jesus on the cross, beaten beyond recognition, blood streaming down His body, looking at you. Then think of the things you allow in your life that is the equivalent of spitting in His face. God’s grace is not cheap. It cost Christ a lot. How can we be so selfish as to not give Him every part of our lives?
Dave Kyllonen Passed Away
I found out today that Dave Kyllonen, formerly of the Couriers, has gone Home to be with Jesus. Growing up in Maryland, the Couriers were popular on the one southern gospel station I could get but I only saw them one time outside of NQC, and that was a number of years ago in my current state of Michigan. I appreciated how the group never lost their focus.
My heart goes out to Dave’s friends and family. Please keep them in your prayers.
CD Review: Our Story (Three Bridges)
I’m old enough to remember when Three Bridges first hit the radio and, to be honest, I didn’t care for their sound. Today, the group consists of original member Elliott McCoy, as well as Shannon Smith and Jeremie Hudson, and I am starting to enjoy listening to them.
Although most of their songs are progressive or have more of a black gospel feel, Down the Road to Damascus is the kind of song you would expect to find on a traditional Southern Gospel CD.
I like the message of Like Jesus Did as it talks about the desire to be more like Christ.
Faith Shines Brighter tells the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Live the Gospel is another song with great lyrics.
Other songs include: Count It Victory, My Story, Good News Never Gets Old, God Did It, Nothing But, Gonna Keep Livin’ and The King of Love My Shepherd Is.
For the Broken
Last year, my most-read post was one I wrote in 2014 titled “I’ve Been Broken (but I’ve Been Blessed).” Broken people are not just out in the world somewhere; they are also in the Church. The fact that a post from 4 1/2 years ago is still my post popular proves that fact.
I think of the old song that said:
He never said you’d only see sunshine
He never said there’d be no rain
He only promised a heart full of singing
And at the very things that once brought pain(from the song Give Them All to Jesus written by Phillip Johnson & Bob Benson, Sr.)
I don’t actually remember a verse where God promised that, but I do know from experience that He often grants that. It’s when we trust Him in the bad times that we realize as Henry and Hazel Slaughter sang that we “don’t need to understand; we just need to hold His hand.” That is where true joy comes from, along with the peace that passes all understanding.
I wasn’t thinking of this when I started this post but, in closing, I would like to ask prayer for fellow blogger David Bruce Murray whose father passed away on Saturday. The funeral is tomorrow (Tuesday). I’m thankful that I have not yet experienced the loss of a parent but I can imagine how heartbreaking that must be. And yet, what a blessing to know that we will be reunited one day with those who love Jesus. David is the founder of Music Scribe, where I write a Sunday devotional when I’m able. He’s been supportive of my writing and some of my other business ventures, and my heart goes out to him and his family during this difficult time.
What Is Worship?
Several months ago, someone suggested that I do a word study on praise vs. worship since I use the two interchangeably when, in fact, they are two different things. I appreciated the gentle admonition so, although it’s taken a while, I am finally sitting down to do that and am sharing my findings with you.
Dictionary.com defines “praise” as:
1. the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation
2. the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship (emphasis mine).
“Worship” is described as:
1. reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred
2. formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage
I often call “praise” worship but worship encompasses much more than verbal praise. Everything you do should be worship.
John 4:23 tells us that “the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”
I think it is safe to say that the people or things that you idolize is who or what you worship. This is why Jesus told Satan, “For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve’” (Matthew 4:10). God is a jealous God, and He will not share His glory with anyone else.
Today I want to encourage you to “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2).
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
