Tender Mercy Micah 6:8 Deuteronomy 4:31 Lamentations 3:21-24 Ezekiel 34:26 Psalms 25:6 Daniel 9:9 James 2:12-13 James 5:11 Luke 6:36 01.30.17

TENDER MERCY

BREAD

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.   Micah 6:8 (NIV)

31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.   Deuteronomy 4:31 (NIV)

21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”  Lamentations 3:21-24 (NIV)

26 I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.   Ezekiel 34:26 (NIV)

6 Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Psalms 25:6 (NIV)

9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.  Daniel 9:9 (NIV)

12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!   James 2:12-13 (NIV)

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.  James 5:11 (NIV)

36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.   Luke 6:36 (NIV)

BUTTER

“To added affliction He addeth His mercy, to multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.”  Annie Johnson Flint

“It is impossible to get from preoccupation with behavior to the gospel. The gospel is not a message about doing things. It is a message about being a new creature.  It speaks to people as broken, fallen sinners who are in need of a new heart. God has given His Son to make us new creatures. God does open-heart surgery, not a face-lift. He produces change from inside out. He rejects the man who fasts twice a week and accepts the sinner who cries for mercy.”   Tedd Tripp

“The pearl of justice is found in the heart of mercy.”  Catherine of Siena

“The mercy of God is that attribute which we, the fallen, sinful race of Adam, stand in greatest need of, and God has been pleased, according to our needs, more gloriously to manifest this attribute than any other. The wonders of divine grace are the greatest of all wonders. The wonders of divine power and wisdom in the making of this great world are marvelous; many wonderful things have happened since the creation of the world, but none like the wonders of grace. "Grace, grace!" is the sound that the gospel rings with, "Grace, grace!" will be that shout which will ring in heaven forever; and perhaps what the angels sung at the birth of Christ, of God's good will towards men, is the highest theme that ever they entered upon.”  Jonathan Edwards

“The foundational principle of grace is that God’s kingdom priorities are completely inverted from those of the world. God’s plan is to magnify His saving mercy and grace not through human strength but rather through its weakness…The gospel of grace would remind us that we can’t be used until we operate not out of our own strength but in weakness, as we depend on Christ’s Spirit to show the reality of the cross.”  Paul Kooistra

“God's mercy is vast and beyond our comprehension. He will never reject anyone who turns to Him for mercy. Nor will He force Himself on anyone who chooses to live without Him.” 

Michael Youssef

“There is a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea.”  Frederick William Faber

“Nothing graces the Christian soul as much as mercy.”   Ambrose

“Mercy imitates God and disappoints Satan.”   John Chrysostom

“God’s willingness to show mercy appears by His joyfulness when sinners take hold on His mercy.  God’s goodness is that He rejoices at the salvation of sinners and is glad when His mercy is accepted.  God rejoices when a poor sinner comes in and takes hold of His mercy.  What an encouragement to believe in God!  He is a God of pardons.  Mercy pleases Him.  Nothing prejudices us but unbelief.  Unbelief stops the current of God’s mercy from running, shut God’s bowels, closes the cavity of Christ’s wounds, so no healing virtue will come out.  As far as the heavens are above the earth, so far is God’s mercy above our sins.  What will tempt us to believe, if not the mercy of God?”   Thomas Watson

“Among the attributes of God, although they are all equal, mercy shines with even more brilliance than justice.”   Miguel de Cervantes

“I love Him because He first loved me.  His goodness and mercy and compassion to me are new every day.  And my assurance is lodged in these aspects of His character.  My trust is in His love for me as His own.  My serenity has as its basis an implicit, unshakable reliance on His ability to do the right thing, the best thing in any given situation.  This to me is the supreme portrait of my Shepherd.  Continually there flows out to me His goodness and His mercy, which even though I do not deserve them, come unremittingly from their source of supply – His own great heart of love.”   Phillip Keller

HEART SAVOR

• ·       God desires for me to love mercy as He loves mercy.
• ·       The Lord my God is merciful and He will never abandon me nor treat me as my sins deserve – praise Him!  His heart is brimming with compassion and mercy.
• ·       Indeed, God’s mercy is beyond my comprehension.

My Pleasure - The Joy Of Service John 13:2-5, 12-17 Matthew 20:25-28 Luke 6:38 Matthew 6:1-4 Galatians 5:13 Ephesians 6:7 Luke 1:38 1 Peter 4:7-11 01.27.17

MY PLEASURE – THE JOY OF SERVICE

BREAD

2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him…..12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”   John 13:2-5, 12-17 (NIV)

25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”   Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)

38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”   Luke 6:38 (NIV)

1 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)

13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.   Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.   Ephesians 6:7 (NIV)

38 “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.    Luke 1:38 (NIV)

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:7-11 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness.  The flesh whines against service but screams against hidden service.”   Richard J. Foster

“In the kingdom of God, service is not a stepping-stone to nobility.  It is nobility.”   T. W. Manson

“Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you need is not a scepter but a hoe.”  Bernard of Clairvaux

“Maturity is for ministry! We grow up in order to give out. It is not enough to keep learning more and more. We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe. Impression without expression causes depression. Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation. Most of the time we’re more interested in ‘serve us’ than service. We say, ‘I’m looking for a church that meets my needs and blesses me,’ not ‘I’m looking for a place to serve and be a blessing.’ We expect others to serve us, not vice versa. But as we mature in Christ, the focus of our lives should increasingly shift to living a life of service. The mature follower of Jesus stops asking, ‘Who’s going to meet my needs?’ and starts asking, ‘Whose needs can I meet?’”   Rick Warren     

“Gathered at the Passover feast, the disciples were keenly aware that someone needed to wash the others’ feet.  The problem was that the only people who washed feet were the least.  So there they sat, feet cake with dirt.  It was such a sore point that they were not even going to talk about it.  No one wanted to be considered the least.  Then Jesus took a towel and a basin and redefined greatness.  Having lived out servanthood before them, He called them to the way of service.”   Richard J. Foster

“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received -- only what you have given: a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.”   St. Francis of Assisi

“A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God’s work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness.  When God’s warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, ‘I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory’, defeat is not far distant.  God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength.  He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for ‘it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts’.  They who go forth to fight, boasting of their prowess, shall return with their gay banners trailed in the dust, and their armour stained with disgrace.  Those who serve God must serve Him in His own way, and in His strength, or He will never accept their service.  That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own.  The mere fruits of the earth He casteth away; He will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love.  God will empty out all that thou hast before He will put His own into thee; He will first clean out the granaries before He will fill them with the finest of the wheat……Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up.”   C. H. Spurgeon  

“The height of joy isn’t simply to be blessed — but to become the blessing. The height of joy isn’t to have blessings actualized — but to become the actual blessing. Not to be blessed with stuff — but to become the blessing in service.”   Ann Voskamp

HEART SAVOR

• ·       God desires for us to serve Him with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind.  Our motivation is love - as was His.
• ·       There are countless blessings in serving.
• ·       The servant will never out give the Master.  God’s eye is on every act of kindness and sacrifice and He blesses the doer exceedingly, abundantly above what is done.   God is in debt to no one.  We live our lives for an audience of One, Whose eye constantly searches throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.  

Without Fear Genesis 15:1 Deuteronomy 3:22 Psalms 27:1 Psalms 73:23-26 Isaiah 41:10 Isaiah 41:13 Isaiah 43:1-3 Romans 8:31-32 John 14:18 2 Timothy 1:7 01.25.17

WITHOUT FEAR

BREAD

1 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”   Genesis 15:1 (NIV)

22 “Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you.”  Deuteronomy 3:22 (NIV)

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?   Psalms 27:1 (NIV)

23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.   Psalms 73:23-26 (NIV)

10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.   Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

13 For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.   Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)

1 But now, this is what the Lord says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”   Isaiah 43:1-3 (NIV)

31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?   Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)

18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.   John 14:18 (NIV)

7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

BUTTER

“‘Dost thou want nothing, O poor soul?  Hast thou nothing to ask?  Oh yes!  You say, a great deal.  Well then, draw near to thy gracious King and Bridegroom without fear.  Lo!  He holds out His golden scepter to thee, saying, ‘Only ask:  not the half, but the whole of My kingdom shall be granted; nay, I will give myself unto thee!’  O dear soul, pray, and tell Him everything that is wanting, be it ever so great or ever so small.  His loving-kindness will hear even the least petition; nay, He will seem to be ignorant of what thou dost not tell Him.  But whatever is poured out before Him is actually addressed and lodged in its proper place, and does not lie upon thy heart any longer, but upon His heart, which cannot rest till you are relieved.  And if you have experienced His help aforetime in great or small things, you may depend on His readiness to help you out of troubles hereafter; only be earnest in prayer for His help.  We often imagine we were willing and drawing near to Him, but He was unwilling, and refused our request; but it is not so:  He rather draws us, and desires our relief more than we do; for it is He that works even this willing mind.”     K.H. Von Bogatzky

“There is never a fear that has not a corresponding ‘Fear not.’”   Amy Carmichael

“Never, for fear of feeble man, restrain your witness.”   C.H. Spurgeon

“God incarnate is the end of fear.  The heart that realizes that He is in the midst…..will be quiet in the midst of alarm.”   F.B. Meyer 

“Jesus promised His disciples three things:  that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.”   F.R. Maltby

“Men who fear God face life fearlessly.  Men who do not fear God end up fearing everything.”   Richard Halverson

“Jesus!  The Name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease.”   Charles Wesley

“Never dread any consequence resulting from absolute obedience to His command.  Never fear the rough waters ahead, which through their proud contempt impede your progress.  God is greater than the roar of raging water and the mighty waves of the sea.  ‘The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever’ (Psalm 29:10).  A storm is simply the hem of His robe, the sign of His coming, and the evidence of His presence.  Dare to trust Him!  Dare to follow Him!  Then discover that the forces that blocked your progress and threatened your life become at His command the very materials He uses to build your street of freedom.”  F. B. Meyer

“The cure for fear is faith.”  Norman Vincent Peale

“What we feed our minds and hearts on will determine whether we live a life of faith or a life of fear. …The more time we spend with God and His Word, the more our faith develops and our fear diminishes….Faith in God conquers fear every time. The God who has redeemed us and cares for us is trustworthy. Our Creator God will never abandon us, and He has our best interests at heart. ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging’ (Psalm 46:1-3).”   Michael Youssef

“We sometimes seem to forget that what God takes He takes in fire; and that the only way to the resurrection life and the ascension mount is the way of the garden, the cross, and the grave.  Think not, O soul of man, that Abraham’s was a unique and solitary experience.  It is simply a specimen and pattern of God’s dealings with all souls who are prepared to obey Him at whatever cost.  After thou hast patiently endured, thou shalt receive the promise.  The moment of supreme sacrifice shall be the moment of supreme and rapturous blessing.  God’s river, which is full of water, shall burst its banks, and pour upon thee a tide of wealth and grace.  There is nothing, indeed, which God will not do for a man who dares to step out upon what seems to be the mist; though as he puts down his foot he finds a rock beneath him.”   F. B. Meyer

HEART SAVOR

·       Fear has the wrong focus.  When I am afraid my eyes are on the circumstance not the Savior.

·       God has promised He will fight all our battles with our vessels for our good and His glory.  He will not what mere flesh can accomplish.

·       Jesus promised He would not leave us as orphans – He would come to us by way of the Holy Spirit.

Listen, Listen, Listen Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Job 6:24 Proverbs 1:5 Proverbs 1:7 Proverbs 1:8-9 Ezekiel 2:4-8 Mark 9:7 John 10:27 James 1:19-25 01.23.17

LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN

BREAD

1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. 2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. 3 As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.   Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 (NIV)

19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NIV)

24 Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong.   Job 6:24 (NIV)

5 Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-- Proverbs 1:5 (NIV)

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7 (NIV)

8 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. 9 They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.  Proverbs 1:8-9 (NIV)

4 “The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen--for they are a rebellious house--they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”  Ezekiel 2:4-8 (NIV)

7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”   Mark 9:7 (NIV)

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.   John 10:27 (NIV)

19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.   James 1:19-25 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Of all today’s miracles the greatest is this:  to know that I find Thee best when I work listening…Thank Thee, too, that the habit of constant conversation grows easier each day.  I really do believe all thought can be conversations with Thee.”   Frank Laubach

“Jesus said that we are to seek first the things of God and that God would respond by taking care of our needs. How can you be assured that you are praying for God's will, and not your own to be done?  Immerse yourself in the Word of God. The more you know the mind of God, the more you will begin to understand what He wants for your life. As you pray for specific requests, always check them against Scripture. You can be sure God's desires for you will never go against His Word. As you read God's Word and study it, ask the Lord to give you a greater awareness of specific promises that He wants you to pray about and believe. We must pray with praise on our lips, a confession of our sin, and a petition that God will act in the way that accomplishes His purposes and brings Him glory. Then, we must listen very closely to what God may lead us to say or do. God uses individual people to accomplish His purposes. Be willing to be used.”   Michael Youssef

“The voice of God is a friendly voice.  No one need fear to listen to it unless he has already made up his mind to resist it.”   A.W. Tozer

“It is no small thing to be on terms of friendship with God.”   Cowman

“‘Do you think God’s calling our name too — and we’re just not listening?’  That we are waiting for someone else to call our name — when God’s already called us?  That nothing is lost by sacrifice and everything is lost when you’re sitting down when you should be stepping up?  That when you’re waiting for an answer and it seems like life is silent - God is actually calling?  That who answers God’s call loses nothing, but a life deaf to God’s call loses everything?”  Ann Voskamp

“To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, to welcome, to accept. Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.”  Henri Nouwen

“Though salvation is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God.  The curses our Lord took away when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of blessing has been abrogated.  We are to note and listen to the revealed will of the Lord, giving our attention not to portions of it but to ‘all these words.’  There must be no picking and choosing but an impartial respect to all that God has commanded.  This is the road of blessedness for the Father and for His children.  The Lord’s blessing is upon His chosen to the third and fourth generation.  If they walk uprightly before Him, He will make all men know that they are a seed which the Lord has blessed.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

 

“A heart drop is when a person, either directly or in a cryptic way, gives you a tiny glimpse into their heart…Hearing a heart drop is a way of listening between the lines, gaining a glimpse into another soul’s longings…Hearing a heart drop is an art we can intentionally cultivate. It can lead to the most wonderful times of encouragement as we make it our habit to listen and to love…But Jesus is calling us to stop and notice. To live alert. To give a special touch that may heal a heart or cheer a weary soul…I once heard it said that Jesus’ real ministry was the person He found standing in front of Him…Who is that for you today?”   Karen Ehman

“I am listening, Lord, for Thee; what hast Thou to say to me?”    Frances Havergal

HEART SAVOR

• ·       I am to pray not only with listening ears but with a listening heart.
• ·       True hearing requires heeding.
• ·       There is a need for true listeners not just yappers of our own agendas and opinions not matter how lofty we may think they are.

Worthy Worship John 4:23-24 Philippians 3:3 Matthew 28:8-10 2 Chronicles 29:29-30 Job 42:1-6 Isaiah 6:1-8 John 1:43-51 Psalms 95:6-7 Romans 12:1 01.20.17

WORTHY WORSHIP

BREAD

23 “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”   John 4:23-24 (NIV)

3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- Philippians 3:3 (NIV)

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”   Matthew 28:8-10 (NIV)

29 When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. 30 King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped.   2 Chronicles 29:29-30 (NIV)

1 Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”  Job 42:1-6 (NIV)

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”  Isaiah 6:1-8 (NIV)

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”  John 1:43-51 (NIV)

6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.   Psalms 95:6-7 (NIV)

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.  Romans 12:1 (NIV)

BUTTER

“We should dedicate ourselves to becoming in this life the most perfect worshipers of God we can possibly be.”    Brother Lawrence

“The pervasive sinfulness of human beings becomes evident when contrasted with the radiant holiness of God.”  Richard J. Foster

“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”   William Temple

“God is actively seeking worshipers.  Jesus declares, ‘The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship Him’ (John 4:23).  It is God who seeks, draws, persuades.  Worship is the human response to the divine initiative.”  Richard J. Foster

“We must be aware of the various ways sin pulls us to wrong thoughts about God, righteousness, grace, ourselves and sin itself. Only the truth of God’s word and meditation in prayer can reveal the deceitfulness of sin.110 Sin works against God. Sin will either deceive us into thinking God is a cruel taskmaster, or, if that will not work, will deceive us into thinking He is like a doting grandfather who really does not care what we do. Sin affects every Christian’s view of God and leads us to worship idols, figments of our own imaginations, and not the true God. Sin will deceive us concerning grace. We will either be deceived into thinking it is too good to be true, or we will buy into cheap grace and think that ethics are unimportant.”  Dr. Bob Flayhart

“The gospel...should be seen as not only a message of good news for lost people to be saved from sin's penalty, but also a message of good news for Christian people to be saved from sin's domineering power. The goal of the gospel is not merely to forgive us, but to change us into true worshippers of God and authentic lovers of people.”  Dr. Steve Childers

“Of all today’s miracles the greatest is this:  to know that I find Thee best when I work listening…Thank Thee, too, that the habit of constant conversation grows easier each day.  I really do believe all thought can be conversations with Thee.”   Frank Laubach

“I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the Presence of God.  Those who have once tasted the Shekinah of God in daily experience can never again live satisfied without the practice of the presence of God.”   Brother Lawrence

“Preaching that is without divine unction falls like a frost on worship.  Heart preaching enflames the spirit of worship; head preaching smothers the glowing embers.  There is nothing more quickening than Spirit-inspired preaching, nothing more deadening than human-inspired preaching.”   Richard J. Foster

“The dearest idol I have known, whate’er that idol be; help me to tear it from Thy throne, and worship only Thee.”    William Cowper

“Happy the soul which by a sincere self-renunciation, holds itself ceaselessly in the hands of its Creator, ready to do everything which He wishes; which never stops saying to itself a hundred times a day, ‘Lord, what wouldst thou that I should do?’”   Francois Fenelon

HEART SAVOR 

• ·       God seeks for me to worship Him in both spirit and truth.
• ·       I am to worship Him because He and He alone is worthy of worship.
• ·       I am made to worship something.  If I worship anything or anyone besides Him I will constantly be found wanting.  Sufficiency is found in Christ alone.