God can take the ordinary and turn it into something powerfully above and beyond the normal. There are several can’t miss lessons we can glean by looking at how God took a simple stick and transformed it into a tool of righteousness. In today’s blog, we take a look at some can’t miss lessons on the Rod of God.
[Tweet “God got a hold of Moses stick and turned into a lightning rod for the miraculous.”]
There is an old Jewish legend on the idea of magnifying God which says that, after God had created the world, He called the angels to Him and asked them what they thought of it; and one of them said, “One thing is lacking: the sound of praise to the Creator.” So God created music, and it was heard in the whisper of the wind, and in the song of the birds. To man also was given the gift of song. And all down the ages this gift of song has indeed proved a blessing to multitudes of souls.1 In this week’s Light on Life we are focusing some on the subject of music, and with that we will carry over and begin to look at some signs the Spirit of God put in the Bible that act as pointers in this area of magnifying God.
Conscience and the Inward Witness: A Look at the Spirit Led Life
[Tweet “Magnifying God has two elements. It’s not all Spirit; it’s Spirit and truth.”]
That’s My King, Do You Know Him? was the best-known message of Shadrach Meshach Lockridge who was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, a prominent African-American congregation in San Diego, California, from 1953 to 1993. He was known for his preaching across the United States and around the world.1 We include that transcript below for your edification and blessing.
[Tweet “We around here talk about black power and white power and green power, but it’s God’s power.”]
Praising God is one of the highest and purest acts of religion. In prayer, we act like men; in praise, we act like angels.1 Many struggle with pure praise. At a conference in a Presbyterian church in Omaha, people were given helium-filled balloons and told to release them at some point in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. Since they were Presbyterians, they weren’t free to say, “Hallelujah, Praise the Lord.” All through the service balloons ascended, but when it was over one-third of the balloons were unreleased.2 Are you free to praise the Lord? Can you lift your hearts and hands to Him? Here is some encouragement along this line.
#S3-015: How the Mighty Names of God Energize Your Life [Podcast]
[Tweet “All of your work, labor, and toil have only one true resting place, the floor before His Throne.”]
Jesus spoke to certain women at a certain well on a certain noonday in John four. Part of that conversation was about worshiping God. That what is the proper way to engage in that activity. Stephen Charnock said the following on the subject.
“God is a Spirit infinitely happy, therefore we must approach him with cheerfulness; he is a Spirit of infinite majesty, therefore we must come before him with reverence; God is a Spirit infinitely high, therefore we must offer up our sacrifices with the deepest humility; he is a Spirit infinitely holy, therefore we must address with purity; God is a Spirit infinitely glorious, we must, therefore, acknowledge his excellence in all that we do, and in our measures contribute to his glory, by having the highest aims in his worship; he is a Spirit infinitely provoked by us, therefore we must offer up our worship in the name of a pacifying mediator and intercessor.”
1 God is a Spirit that’s what Jesus said to this Samaritan gal and they that worship Him must do it a certain way. That’s the focus of this week’s Light on Life.
Conscience and the Inward Witness: A Look at the Spirit Led Life
[Tweet “Fathers have an enormous impact on their children’s faith and values.”]
It’s a good thing to be always praising God. While five soloists from the Duke Ellington band danced in the aisles of the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., a largely black-tie audience of 1,000 clapped hands to the tune of $12,000 at a musical fund-raiser. “Praise God and dance!” exhorted mellow jazz musician Ellington, and the last section of his Sacred Concert No. 2 began. Band members clapped, thrusting their hands heavenward toward the ceiling high above the arrow-like ribs of the sanctuary. Soon clumps of clappers in the audience joined in, timidly at first, then raising their hands straight up in a fervor of rhythm.1 Clap your hands, stomp your feet, shout unto God, or just raise your hands to Him without doubting, it’s wonderful to be always at the business of praising God.
#S4-047: Why It’s Important to Live A Separated Life [Podcast]
[Tweet “You cannot make God bigger, but He can become bigger to you through praise.”]
John Favel, a famous 17th-century Puritan preacher, had this to say about condemnation. “It is easier to declaim, like an orator, against a thousand sins of others than it is to mortify one sin, like Christians, in ourselves; to be more industrious in our pulpits than in our closets; to preach twenty sermons to our people than one to our own hearts.”1 Throughout the ages, there have been many a ‘hellfire and brimstone preacher’ whose primary tool was smoking fiery rhetoric designed to scorch people into heaven. Was Jesus this type of preacher? Did Jesus minister condemnation? If He did, then we should strive to be like Him. But, if he wasn’t, we should stand up and take notice.
[Tweet “You’re not God’s policeman. Quit writing tickets for other peoples sins.”]
Have you ever thought about what praise and worship will be like in heaven? An evangelist asked all who wanted to go to heaven to raise their hands. Everyone in the audience did so, except for one elderly man sitting near the front of the auditorium. The preacher pointed his finger at him and said, ‘Sir, do you mean to tell us that you don’t want to go to heaven?’ ‘Sure I want to go, but the way you put the question, I figured you were getting up a busload for tonight!’1 Heaven is the most wonderful place ever and as a believer in Jesus it is your eternal destination. And trust me, you want to go there. The praise and worship there is out of this world.
[Tweet “Psalm 100 is a universal Psalm with a universal message, ‘All the earth should praise the Lord.’”]
Are you all in on the idea of putting God’s Kingdom first? Audubon, the well-known naturalist, and artist practiced great self-mastery to learn more about birds. Counting his physical comforts as nothing, he would rise at midnight night after night and go into the swamps to study certain nighthawks. He would crouch motionless in the dark and fog, hoping to discover just one more additional fact about a single species. During one summer, Audubon repeatedly visited the bayous near New Orleans to observe a shy water bird. He would stand almost to his neck in the stagnant waters, scarcely breathing, while poisonous water-moccasin snakes swam past his face. It was not comfortable or pleasant, but he beamed with enthusiasm and is reported to have said, “But what of that? I have the picture of the birds.”
He endured all these things just for a picture of a bird! If a man could be so disciplined for a temporal and physical reward, how much more should your commitment as a child of God be for the imperishable prize before him?1 In this week’s episode we are going to look at a some ‘commitment’ examples, from the Bible; people who illustrated by their choices that seeking first the Kingdom of God is the way to live. All this on this week’s Light on Life.
Conscience and the Inward Witness: A Look at the Spirit Led Life
[Tweet ” The Hebrew word for ‘awesome’ means precisely that, to be inspiring awe or reverence or fear.”]
The Bible instructs us to be involved with the business of casting our care on the Lord. Why? Worry is a sin plain and simple. God is all out against His children worrying. A child does not worry all day long whether his house will be there when he gets home from school or whether his parents will have a meal for him that evening. Children do not worry about such things, because they trust their parents. In the same way, we as Christians should trust our heavenly Father to supply what is best for us.1 Casting your care, how do you do it? That’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.
The Value of Humility and Consecration in the Miracles of God
[Tweet “Just because worry is acceptable in your circles doesn’t make it any less a sin in Bible circles”]
Seeing God is many believers heart desire. The Throne of God is one of the first places believers head toward because they know that’s where God is and they want to see Him. The scripture states no man can see God and live (Exodus 33:20). Are we hopelessly at a loss for all eternity? Can we never see the God we worship, love and adore when we get to glory? The Bible gives us a clue here and that’s the focus of this week’s blog post.
[Tweet “The first question people have when discussing ‘seeing God’ is ‘What does He look like?'”]
Long ago, there ruled in Persia a wise and good king. He loved his people. The king wanted to know how they lived. He wanted to know about their hardships. Often he dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar and went to the homes of the poor. No one whom he visited thought that he was their ruler. One time he attended an impoverished man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left. Later he revisited the poor man and disclosed his identity by saying, “I am your king!” The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn’t. Instead, he said, “You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate the course food I ate. You brought gladness to my heart! To others, you have given your rich gifts. To me, you have given yourself!”
The King of glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, gave himself to you and me. The Bible calls Him, “the unspeakable gift!” 1 Is there value in knowing the gift of God? This was the question confronting a certain wayward woman one day as she crossed paths with the Savior of the world. Let’s look at how that encounter changed her life and how it can also change yours. The value of knowing the gift of God, that’s the focus of this week’s Light on Life.
[Tweet “Shouldn’t we take pains to know what belongs to us in Christ?”]