Forever Begins NOW! (Week 16 - September 8, 2015)

Here we are at the very last verse of our Summer Song…and what a verse it is! King David said a lot in these final few words. “My mouth WILL speak the praise of the Lord.” There is an emphatic element there that cannot be overlooked. “I will!” Worship happens when we make a conscious choice to ascribe glory, honor, dominion and power to the King of kings and Lord of lords, pouring our hearts out in love and adoration to our God as a conscious act of our will.

What happens when we worship—when we engage our will to exalt the Lord? In Psalm 22:3, David lets us in on an amazing secret: God inhabits the praises of His people, or as some translations put it, He is enthroned on the praises of Israel. However you say it, the meaning is clear. There is a direct correlation between us speaking words of praise and God building His throne among us. If you want to talk about Heaven on earth or Heaven invading earth, you have to begin with worship because worship is the medium through which it all happens.

The idea of “beginning” with worship is compelling because of all the things we do here in our earthly existence, worship is the ONLY thing that will endure, that will continue on into eternity. “…and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.” Since we are going to worship God throughout all eternity, why wait? Forever begins now!

Names/descriptions of God from one of my favorite songs:

You Are Worthy

(Art by Sarah Wagner)

Week 15 - September 1, 2015

I have read Psalm 145 numerous times this summer—often two or even three times per day. I feel as if I know it quite well and can, if pressed, quote much of it from memory. I love the praise and adoration the Psalmist expressed in his writing of this amazing song. Over and over throughout the verses he extols his Creator. But he is not alone…all creation joins in a veritable symphony of praise. It is one of the most uplifting psalms I have ever had the pleasure to read.

And then you come to verse twenty: “The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked.” (NLT) In my journal I have listed forty-seven different statements made throughout this Psalm. Now here is the surprise: Out of these forty-seven statements, only ONE could be put in a negative category! Isn’t that interesting?

It got me thinking today, and my pondering led me to analyze my own life—the things I think about and, more importantly, the things I SPEAK about. I was left with this question: Like this wonderful Psalm, is MY speech 46/47th’s positive? Do I encourage people at least 46/47th’s of the time? Do 46 out of 47 people leave my presence feeling good about our encounter?

On our RiverChurch Facebook page we’ve been running what Ron calls a #ReMix of a popular sermon series from several years ago. It was called, “Change The Way You Think.” It was a great series. You should consider listening to some of the episodes. A couple of weeks ago the episode was, “Change The Way You Think: About Your Words.” Your words are powerful. You have the ability to change the trajectory of someone’s life just by what you say. Why not give it a try this week as you flow in and out of your circles of influence. Shoot for 46/47th’s positive speech, but expect to exceed that mark.