Tuesday, June 17,
2014, 9:09 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Give God the Glory.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 4-5 (quoting selected
passages in the NIV).
By His Will
“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.” ~ Rev. 4:11
Jesus Christ, God the Son, is not only our Savior and Lord,
but he is the one who created us, and it is by his will that we were created
and that we have our being. In other words, we were created by God/Jesus Christ
for a purpose. We didn’t just happen because two people got together and made a
baby. We were uniquely designed by God. Even before we were knit together by
God in the wombs of our mothers God had a plan for our lives; for who we would
be, or had the potential to be. Certainly we have a free will to choose to
follow him or to not believe in him, but that does not negate the fact that we
are not here randomly, or by accident, nor by the will of a man and a woman. We
are alive because God wanted us to be alive. And, he wants us to trust him with
our lives and with our futures.
He is Able!
Then
I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on
both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in
a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no
one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look
inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the
scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See,
the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to
open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Then
I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the
throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had
seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into
all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat
on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the
twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were
holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.
And they sang a new song, saying:
“You
are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because
you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and
people and nation.
You
have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.”
Then
I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon
thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and
the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy
is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and
strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
Then
I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the
sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To
him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for
ever and ever!”
The
four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Amen! He is worthy because he is God! He is worthy because
he left his throne in heaven, humbled himself by taking on the form of human
flesh, and was willing to suffer all the things we humans suffer, including
temptation to sin, though he did not sin, and the suffering of physical pain,
disease (perhaps), rejection, persecution, hatred and death. He is worthy
because, although he was/is God, and he could have chosen not to do this, he
willingly went to the cross, died a horrible death, and took upon himself the
sins of the entire world, taking our punishment for sin upon him. He is able
because he was resurrected from the dead, triumphant over death, hell, Satan
and sin. He conquered sin in sinful man so that we could go free from the
control of sin over our lives, and so we would be free to walk daily in his
holiness and righteousness in the power and working of the Spirit within us.
There is not anything beyond his power to do so, for he is God!
He is worthy, not just because he died for our sin, but
because of the effect that has had on human lives. In other words, he didn’t
die just so we could go to heaven one day. He bought us with his blood so we
could be set free from slavery to sin, and so we would be separate from the
world of sin and set apart unto him and to his service. Jesus Christ died so
that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for
us (See 2 Co. 5:15). His grace teaches us to say “No!” to ungodliness and
worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present
age (See Tit. 2:11-14). He died so we would die with him to our old lives of
living for self and sin, so we would be transformed in heart and mind, and so
we would walk in his Spirit, in his holiness and in his righteousness (See Ac.
26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; & 1 Jn. 1-5). This was his plan
and his purpose for our lives! We are supposed to be different from the world,
not like the world.
He is worthy, as well, because, by his death and
resurrection, he made his followers to be a kingdom and priests to serve our
God. Serving God, though, does not mean merely following a set of guidelines or
rules. It is not merely being “good deed doers.” It is also not necessarily
serving in some capacity within the institutional church. It is not just doing
what we feel like doing for God, either. He is not interested in the things we
are willing to sacrifice for him while we hold on to what we don’t want to
yield to him. He wants our obedience, not to a set of rules, but to him, to his
teachings, to his leadership, guidance, direction and purpose for our lives. He
wants us to say, “Here am I. Send me!” He desires that we be living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to him, which is our true and proper worship of him, no
longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but being transformed in the
renewing of our minds so that we can approve what the will of God is – his good,
pleasing and perfect will (See Ro. 12:1-2). He wants our all on the altar. That
is why he died!
Give God the Glory
From the very beginning of creation God has put within mankind
the knowledge of God. God made himself known through his created works. When we
look at the sun, the moon, the stars, the heavens above us, the trees, flowers,
birds of the air, the sea, and man, we can see God, not that God exists within
all of his creation, but rather that his creation reveals his divine character,
being understood through what he has made. We see all his beauty, his love and
his power, etc., so that mankind is without excuse, even though he may claim he
did not know there was a God who created all this. It is not that mankind does
not know, but rather that he chooses to suppress what he does know about God,
exchanging the glory of God for an image in the form of corruptible man, etc. (See
Romans 1:18-23 NASB)
So, the heavens above proclaim to mankind that we must give
God the glory, and we must honor his name as holy. He has given man a free will
to choose him or to not choose him. If we choose to live in the image of
corruptible man, in which we were born into sin, we will die. But, if we
choose, by God’s grace, through faith, to exchange the corruptible man for the
glory of God, i.e. to accept God’s invitation to his great salvation, then we
will live. He will light our lives with his righteousness, give us his wisdom,
refresh our souls, and give joy to our hearts through his pure and enduring
word, which is more precious than gold. When we keep his word, we receive great
spiritual rewards. So, we should pray that we would continue in Christ, in
keeping his word, and that we would not allow sin to rule our hearts ever again,
so that we may walk in all of his ways from this day on and forever more.
Give God the Glory
/ An Original Work
Based off Psalm 19 /
March 10, 2014
All of creation now
proclaims:
“Give God the glory;
honor His name!”
Each day the stars in
heav’n above
Show forth His wisdom;
tell of His love.
They do not speak.
They have no voice.
Yet, they declare we
have a choice:
“Worship the God of
heav’n above;
Believe in Jesus;
trust in His love.”
God’s word is perfect,
just and good,
Refreshing souls who
trust in the Lord;
Makes wise the simple;
radiant -
Lighting our lives
with God’s righteousness.
Joy to the heart His
words now speak;
Pure and enduring, now
we seek.
They are more precious
than our gold;
Sweeter than honey; never
grow old.
Keeping the word
brings great reward.
By the word Jesus
speaks and He warns,
Convicting hearts of
all their sin;
Forgiving all who call
upon Him.
Praying You keep me,
Lord, from sins.
May they not rule my
life again.
Then will I walk in
all Your ways,
Following Jesus all of
my days.
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