Dance Before the Lord

Dance before the Lord!

David danced.

He danced with abandon.

He praised and worshiped God with a joyful heart.

2 Samuel 6:14

Then David danced before the Lord with all his might....

It was David's way of expressing his joy for the return

of the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark contained the Ten Commandments

and on it, the mercy seat where God would speak.

We should, in the same way, dance, sing 

and worship with all our heart.

For we have something better and greater than the Ark.

We are the living container for God.

We hold the Holy Spirit inside of us.

We have the Spirit of God dwelling within us.

Rejoice!

Sing and dance for the joy of the Lord.

Psalm 149:3-4

Let them praise Him with dance;

let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;

He will beautify the humble with salvation.

Power of Words

There is power in the words we speak.

Speak out loud for what we say is very important. 

Words affect our emotions and state of mind.

Words can bring about spiritual, emotional, 

and physical changes.

There is life or death in the words we speak.

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Basically, what we say can change us.

We can ultimately speak things into or out of existence.

When speaking in a negative way, feelings of anxiousness,

fear, rejection, physical sickness and depression can

become our normal.

Hearing hurtful and negative words from others

can cause a lifetime of pain.

God knew this.

He knew we could build up or tear down ourselves

and one another with simple words.

That is why He commanded us to control our tongue.

Psalms 34:13

Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking deceit.

James 3:9-10 AMP

With it we bless the Lord and Father,

and with it we curse men who were made in God's likeness!

Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing.

These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.

The power is in you.

The Holy Spirit will guide you

and by faith your words can be powerful

and life giving!

By The Grace Of God

There by the grace of God goes John Bradford  (go I)

This is a phrase attributed to John Bradford--an English reformer

He was awaiting death in the tower of London 

for his religious beliefs in the mid 1500's

and as he watched others being hanged made this statement.

Whether he ever stated this or not, the meaning is clear.

It is because of God's grace we can endure persecutions.

One could say, "I too might suffer the same fate".

Unfortunately, Bradford was later burned at the stake,

but he never wavered from his beliefs. 

Thank God we do not suffer this type of persecution in most countries.

But we do go through trials and tribulations daily.

We have money troubles, health problems, grief and loss.

We suffer at the hands of loved ones.

Friends disappoint.

We disappoint ourselves.

We endure pressure and suppression for our religious beliefs.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:10, 

"But by the grace of God, I am what I am...."

In other words, 

God's favor pours out on us giving a special ability

to go through the day to day trials and tribulations.

This ability results in a peace like no other.

We cannot earn grace, we simply receive it.

Today make a decision to receive God's grace.

God will empower you to go through whatever it is

you are in the midst of.

2 Corinthians 12:9 The Message

My grace is enough; it's all you need,

My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Let Your Life Be A Living Sermon

Or use words when necessary.

God uses people.

And He wants to use each one of us to spread His word.

Mark 16:15 AMP

And He said to them,

Go into all the world and preach and publish

openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature

(of the whole human race).

A quote attributed but not verified by Francis Assisi is:

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.

Well, we do need to use words to share to the Gospel of Christ

and we need to know God's word to do this accurately.

However,

how we live our lives is an example to others.

Are we outwardly showing others the love of God?

Or do we live one way at church and another at home?

Jesus gives a principal commandment,

"Love each other in the same way I have loved you,"

John 15:12 NIV

He was the same in private as He was in public.

Jesus didn't walk on the other side of the street 

to avoid the downtrodden.

He met them face to face and loved them.

We must combine our words with our actions

and in both reflect Jesus.

Your Best Friend

We all have friends.

Some are lucky enough to have a special friend...

A best friend.

We look for certain characteristics in a best friend.

Honesty--someone who will tell you the truth.

Numbers 23:19 AMP

God is not a man that He should tell or act a lie.

Unconditional Love--someone to love without judgement.

Romans 5:8

God demonstrates His own love toward us,

in that while we were still sinners, 

Christ died for us.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son.

Help-- someone willing to go out of their way to help.

Psalm 46:1

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Matthew 20:28 AMP

Just as the Son of Man came not to be waited on but 

to serve and to give His life as a reason for many 

(the price paid to set them free)

Loyalty--someone who is true to their word.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

1 Corinthians 1:9

God is faithful, by whom you were called into 

fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus is my best friend.

Is He yours?

Independence Day

One nation under God

On the 4th of July the United States celebrates freedom.

• Freedom of choice.
• Freedom to be treated equal.
• Freedom from tyranny.
• Freedom to participate in government.
• Freedom to worship God.

"Freedom is one's ability to live as they desire within 

the confines of the law. "
Dave Meyer

America's founding fathers never intended 

to take God out of government.

"We hold these truths to be self evident that all

men are created equal, that they are endowed

by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,

that among these are life, liberty and the 

pursuit of happiness."

Declaration of Independence

Presidential Quotes:

"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible"

George Washington

"I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible.

Take all of this Book upon reason that you can,

and the balance by faith, and

you will live and die a better man."

Abraham Lincoln

"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of

government is because Christianity is the only religion that

changes the heart."

Thomas Jefferson

"We recognize no sovereign but God and no king but Jesus."

John Adams

"The future and success of America is not in this Constitution,
but in the laws of God upon which this
Constitution is founded."
James Madison

"Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society,
he must be considered as a subject of the Governor
of the Universe. And to the same Divine Author of every good 
and perfect gift we are indebted for all those privileges and
advantages, religious as well as civil, which are so richly 
enjoyed in the favored land."
James Monroe

"Finally, it is my most fervent prayer to that Almighty Being
before whom I now stand, and to who has kept us 
in His hands from the infancy of our Republic unto present day,
that He will so overrule all my intentions
and actions and inspire the hearts of my fellow citizens
that we may be preserved from dangers of all kinds
and continue forever a united and happy people.
Andrew Jackson


"The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state,
but from the hand of God."
John F Kennedy


"If we ever forget that we are one nation under God,
then we will be a nation gone under."
Ronald Reagan

Culture Shock

Visiting a different county where they speak

another language can be difficult.

The language hard to understand,

the street signs are hard to read,

laws vary and you get a shock

Culture shock.

Unfamiliar surroundings

and way of life cause discomfort and anxiety.

And yet, there is common ground.

Small victories in communication.

A smile, a handshake, a person going out of their 

way to point directions.

And God! 
He is there, visible in the churches, museums, homes
and through the people.

Photo by CS Marcott
In a blink there is mutual understanding.
A blending of two communities into the community of God.


Galatians  3:28  AMP
There is (now no distinction) neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free, there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ.