I began writing this psalm-song yesterday
after reading Steve Troxel's daily devotional
God's Daily Word @ http://www.gdwm.org.
_____________________________ Psalm 96:1
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Ephesians 5:19-20
"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns
and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in
your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks
to God the Father for everything, in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Music of My Heart
The music of my old heart,
Was most often cold and dark,
Fret with broken chords of pain.
God lead my world-weary soul,
To Jesus' Cross and made it whole,
Redeemed by blood I met His grace.
Now psalm-songs are my strength,
My mind's renewed with holy strains,
And I'm encouraged to play my part.
Father, hear my heart's eternal praise;
The Truth: Your Son, The Life: His Way,
Is the music of my heart today!
J. E. POLLOCK
AUG. 20, 2009
Sing to the LORD, praise His name;
proclaim His salvation day after day.
Psalm 96:2 | | A Living Sanctuary | 
Our Heavenly Father desires our life to be FILLED
with praise and worship. When we gather together
with other believers for church services, we general-
ly begin with songs of praise. We praise God for His
love and faithfulness, and for the gift of His Son. We
worship Him for His awesome majesty as we prepare
our hearts to receive His Word. These are wonderful
times, but they are only a small part of God's true
desire for our life.
Ephesians 5:19-20
"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
As Paul wrote these instructions to the Ephesians he
never said, "give thanks only during your worship
service," or, "make music in your heart only when you
gather together with other believers." He clearly
instructed "always" and "for everything." The "music"
of praise and worship to God should always reside in
our heart.
This can be a real challenge without a shift in the way
we view our life - a shift from the way we've been
"trained" by the world. We absolutely must learn to
"trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). Though the
world teaches us to "take charge of your own destiny,"
we are called to release control to our Lord and
patiently trust. For it's only through faith and trust that
we can praise in ALL situations, even through our
confusion and pain.
One of my favorite praise songs contains the words:
"Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary; pure and holy,
tried and true. With thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanc-
tuary for You." The word sanctuary means: A place
set aside as sacred and holy, especially a place of
worship. The meaning of this song then becomes,
Lord prepare my life to be a sacred and holy place
of worship!
There can be no greater ambition for the Child of God.
With a proper understanding of eternity and the saving
grace of Jesus, our life only has real purpose as we
live each day to bring Him glory and honor - as we live
each moment in praise and worship, no matter what
circumstances our day may bring. The way we walk
through our trials as well as how we accomplish our
daily tasks, ministry activities, or times of prayer and
study should all be done through a heart devoted to
worship.
Let's allow the "music" of our heart to sing out with
praise and worship - not just for a few set hours each
week, but every day with every word, thought and deed.
Let's patiently trust in all areas of our life and ask our
Father to teach us to live as a living sanctuary.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries |
| God's Daily Word Ministries PO Box 190 Lorena TX 76655 | | |
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