DAY EIGHT

Good morning! It's a great, new day--walking with the Lord.

Psalm 118:24

²⁴ This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I was reading a scripture passage with my daughters this morning and thought that it would be good to share it with you on this Wednesday, the middle of the week...

Isn't the picture beautiful? It looks very peaceful, just like what this verse should bring to believers--peace! Read a few more verses from chapter 8 --

Romans 8:28-39

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He 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? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:"For your sake we face death all day long;we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Incredible words from our Lord! Doesn't that get you going today...with confidence, peace, and assurance from our Lord. Praise the Lord!

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Faith-filled Worship

TODAY'S MAIN IDEA:

Worship requires faith, and God always responds to faith-filled worship.

Harland has shown us through God's Word that revelation is crucial to worship. "True revelation comes only from God (Matt. 16:16-17), and faith is always required" (p.42, workbook).

Matthew 16:16-17 (New International Version)

¹⁶Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

¹⁷Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

Today's study shares Abram's (later known as Abraham) story. "God made an everlasting covenant with Abram, and ultimately Abram became Abraham, the father of many nations and the father of our faith....Abraham had a lifetime of relationship with God, a lifetme of revelation of who God was and what God had done; and that revelation was about to lead to the ultimate act of worship in the midst of the major test of Abraham's life [--the sacrifice of his son]. Abraham was ready to obey God before he knew what would happen. He was about to experience God in worship--faith-filled worship!" (p.44, workbook).

Harland goes on to say that Abraham's worship could cost him everything and he truly experienced a crisis of belief!

SHACHAH--

(hebrew word for "worship" used in Gen. 22:5)

--to prostrate (in homage to royalty or God), bow (self) down, crouch, fall down,

humbly beseech, do reverence, make to stoop, worship.

I believe it also had to do with the heart because God's acceptance of our worship is dependent on our belief--our faith.

Tell me your thoughts about this...

In closing, I love this thought: "You come to know God as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you."

Lord, help me to obey you today; to follow Your ways, and allow You to work in and through me in all that I do, say, and think. In Jesus name, Amen.

God bless!

Ken