“but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:10-11 NIV
Today is Sabbath Sunday. A Sabbath is a day of worship and/or rest. Do you observe a Sabbath? Is this a new word to you? Click here to read an article by the United Methodist church that better defines Sabbath.
Sabbath is an opportunity to rest in the arms of Jesus. I have found that observing the Sabbath is a necessary practice for me. Without worship and resting in Christ, I burn out and crash.
I encourage you to set aside a Sabbath. Spend time worshipping God and resting in Christ. Allow your batteries to be recharged and your focus to be reset.
This photo is of me standing inside the tiny home that is being built for my mom.
“Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see— how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him. Worship God if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness.” Psalm 34:8-9 MSG
Join me for 👉 See You Saturday as we talk about how God inhabits our praises.
“Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” 2 Chronicles 20:3 NIV
“He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV
“After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” 2 Chronicles 20:21-22 NIV
“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3 KJV
Dear God, I give thanks to you Lord, for your love endures forever (2 Chr 20:21). I sing to you Lord, I make a joyful noise to you, the rock of my salvation (Psalm 95:1). In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
All this week I have encouraged you to use your senses for worship. Today as we talk about sight, I am actually going to ask the opposite of you. In 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV, we read: “For we live by faith, not by SIGHT.” So now as you sit with God, take a moment to close your eyes and take a trip down memory lane. Can you see how God has been right beside you? Can you see His faithfulness in your life? Our faith is to be lived out, not by what we see looking ahead but rather what we see through God’s past and current faithfulness.
Once you recall God’s faithfulness, you can have confidence that He is always before you. Always making a way for you. We read in Isaiah 43:19 NIV: “SEE, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
What is your favorite promise? Do you have a life verse? Do you need to be reminded to pray big? Use your time of worship today to meditate on God’s faithful promises. I will leave you with a few of my favorites.
My favorite promise comes from Philippians 4:13 NIV: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
What I consider my life verse comes from Philippians 1:6 NIV: “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
When I need to be reminded to pray big I read Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Now let’s pray using scripture!
Dear God, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your SIGHT Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14 NIV) In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.” Luke 8:43-44 NIV
There are several instances where Jesus’ touch is recorded in the Bible. One example is Jesus healing the blind man in Matthew 9:29 NIV: “Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you.’” Another example is Jesus healing the man with Leprosy in Mark 1:41 NIV: “Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’”
In our key verse, a woman courageously touched just the edge of Jesus’ cloak. This touch must have taken so much faith and humility as she had been deemed unclean. Her faith in Jesus was recorded in His response in Luke 8:48: “Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” How can we worship God with our touch? We can worship with both courageous bold faith and a humble spirit.
As you sit and worship with God I want you to imagine you are sitting at Jesus’ feet. With His cloak within reach courageously lift your arms up to God. Use your sense of touch to worship Him. There doesn’t always need to be healing, we can simply lift our arms up in humble praise. Now let’s pray.
Dear God, Thank you for your healing touch. Thank you for the unnamed woman to teach me about bold faith. I humbly lift my arms to you in praise and seek to worship you in all I do and say. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
As you sit with God, take a moment to light a fragrant candle. Take a few good deep breaths. Now as you read John 12:3 NIV your senses can start to imagine this fragrant perfume: “Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” Mary boldly used this expensive perfume as a fragrant offering to God. When a Disciple questioned the use of such an expensive perfume Jesus spoke in verses 7-8: “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
How can we worship God through our sense of smell? By being a Mary who desires to sit at God’s feet with fragrant offerings. By being a Water Walker who walks in love so that others will know the aroma of Christ. By worshiping God with the valuable gift of the heart as we read in 1 Peter 3:4 HCSB: “Instead, it should consist of what is inside the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes.” Remember that God created us for relationships. The posture of our hearts is a beautiful aroma to Him. Now let’s pray.
Dear God, Thank you for choosing me to have a relationship with you. Forgive me when I get caught up in what others may think. I desire to worship you with a sweet and gentle heart. in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Matthew 26:26 NIV
As you have devotion today imagine yourself sitting at the table with Jesus. Imagine the fellowship shared between Jesus and His Disciples at the Living Last Supper. In our key verse, Jesus used bread as a metaphor for His body. The breaking and eating of bread symbolizes His broken body on the cross and our brokenness today.
The verses following in Matthew 26:27-28 we read about the cup; “Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus used a cup of wine as a metaphor for His blood. The drinking of wine symbolizes the blood He had shed on the cross and the washing of our sins.
How do we worship God with our taste? Notice in both the breaking of bread and drinking from the cup, Jesus starts off with, giving thanks. Today we give thanks before our meals. How often do we rush through and minimize this prayer? How often do we forget or skip over it? The next time you pray over a meal I encourage you to be intentional with your time with God.
We should all desire to taste and experience the bread of life with joy. In the New Living Translation of Psalm 34:8 we read; “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” In reality, sometimes our worship is weary. His table is here for us to find peace, comfort, and strength as we read in Matthew 11:28 NIV: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Take a moment to worship God with “The Table” by Chris Tomlin. Now let’s pray.
Dear God, Thank you for providing your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. Forgive me for times when I have forgotten to give thanks. I desire to sit at your table today to worship you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:20 NIV
Take a moment to examine this photo by Ray White. The bird appears to be taking off for flight. More than likely it was motivated to move by hearing or seeing. On this Mindset Monday are you motivated to take flight and follow God when He calls you? How can we worship God with our hearing? In our key verse, Jesus is speaking to us, telling us He is always at the door knocking. The question is, are we allowing Him to open the door to our hearts?
Jesus is our Good Shepherd. In His word, He refers to us as sheep. In John 10:27 NIV Jesus is speaking; “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” That sounds so simple, right? But it is easy to miss the knock at the door when surrounded by the white noise of the world. As we sit and worship with our Heavenly Father this week let’s turn off the white noise and tune into hearing His word. Take a moment to listen to “Spirit of the Living God” by Vertical Worship. Now let’s pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, My Good Shephard. Thank You for always knocking at the door of my heart. I desire to lean into you today and hear you speak. I ask that you move in and through me as I go about my day. Here I am to listen and obey. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
