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New Song for New Mercies

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"Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him." - Psalm 98:1
 
We might not think about it that much but have we really paused and examined why we sing new songs of worship to God? Singing new songs to God is actually a command (Hebrew: qal imperative masculine plural) not a suggestion that we can exercise the option to do if we feel like it or not. Why sing new songs to God? Because God has done marvelous things! God is always doing new and marvelous things and we are to acknowledge and recognize these new things with new songs. The Lord doesn’t give us yesterday’s mercies for today’s problems—He gives us new mercies every morning because every morning requires a new outpouring of His steadfast love and mercies. We should sing new songs to God because God gives us new mercies and is doing new & marvelous things in our lives.
 
I’ve been kind of hitting a rut in my times of worship recently. I can’t pinpoint it and I haven’t been really able to experience a fresh outpouring of his presence. I’ve been trying to address it by remembering personal times of worship I had and singing the same songs. It hasn’t had the result I wanted. New seasons need new songs. God is doing new and wonderful things and I need to sing new songs to express God’s worth. Not that I want to have spiritual ADHD of inattentiveness but I want to express the marvelous (new) things God is doing in my life by singing new songs. I am going to be intentional and seek new worship songs that God is doing in different churches all over the world. 
 
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your new mercies everyday! Please help me not rely on yesterday’s mana but always seeking fresh and new outpouring of your presence in my life. I look to your promises that when I hunger and thirst after righteousness that I shall be satisfied. Satisfy me in your presence and in the glory of the cross. Strengthen me to lead myself, my family and your church in the newness of life in Christ and the fresh fire of your Spirit. 
Posted by John Danganan with
in Gospel

Worthy of Jesus

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SCRIPTURE

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:37-39

 

OBSERVATION

Let’s face it. Nobody is worthy of Jesus. Absolutely no one deserves to behold the King of glory and enter in the joy of his presence. Yet through his undeserved grace we get to have relationship Jesus. Jesus clarifies what it takes to be his disciple—it has to do with our heart and what we love. It’s good to love our parents, kids and family but we just can’t love them more than Jesus. It has to do with our affection and what we treasure most. If we love family, comfort and security more than Jesus we are not worthy of him. It’s not our past or even our sin that makes us unworthy to have Jesus, it’s what we love more than Jesus that will prevent us embracing abundant life. It is the love of comfort and life that will make us unworthy of Jesus.

 

APPLICATION

Jesus wants my heart. He draws the hard line of allegiance because he knows full well of my idolatrous heart. He knows only he can bring me fullness of joy. He knows that only drinking from the living water can make my soul never thirst again. Point of application:

- Don’t make an idol out of my family. I love my wife and kids dearly but I love Jesus most. By loving Jesus most I actually become a better husband and father.

- Don’t make an idol out of comfort and entitlement: Seek to find my rest and joy in Christ.

 

PRAYER

Dear God,

You have my heart. It is all yours. I love you more than life itself. Please forgive me for sometimes loving family and entitled comfort more than you. I need your grace to help me to be quick to repent so that my love for you remains fervent. Please continue to strengthen me to rest in the grace of your cross. I love you. Our Lord, come.

 

 

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