A LIVING SACRIFICE

I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1 (Amplified Bible)

The term sacrifice is not to be taken lightly. In the Old Testament time, the offering of animals had to be the best, without blemish and probably costly to the owner. And when the animals were being slaughtered, we could hear their cries. Similarly, in hard times as we offer our lives as a living sacrifice (in worship), they may be moments of tears, sorrows and pains. But as the Lord consumes our offerings, we will be transformed. Romans 12:1 tells us that this is our reasonable worship.
The story of the woman who broke the abalaster box (John 12:3, Matthew 26:8-9) was met by the disciples' indignant remarks ... "Why this waste?" Waste means giving more than necessary. To Judas and the disciples the waste of money, time and efforts of worship poured upon the Lord could have been channelled for better use. But if the Lord is worthy, then can it be waste? He worthy to be worshiped, worthy to be served, worthy for me to be in ministry, HE IS WORTHY! Once we see this revelation, what other say about this does not matter anymore.

The Lord said, "Do not trouble her". So let us not be troubled. The Lord's approval upon Mary's action lays the principles of pouring out to Him: that in our service and worship, we need to pour all that we have - our self, upon Him. It is not first of all a question of whether "the poor" (Matthew 26:9) have been helped but a question of whether the Lord has been satisfied.

What does it mean to lay our lives on God's altar? When Abraham obeyed God it means the life of his promised son - Isaac (we know that God provided him a sacrificial lamb for his obedience). But when God did it it means the life of His own beloved Son - Jesus! Death on the cross but eternal life for all who accept Him. That's what being a living sacrifice is all about. Unlike the old sacrifices, this sacrifice lives! It lives a dedicated life, an altar life. It now belongs to our High Priest. Living sacrifices don't live for them themselves. They live for Another. That's our reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.

Today, let us lavish upon Him without reservation all our worship.

HE IS WORTHY!
TPWC

PRAISE YOU IN THE STORM

Psalm 42:5, 11 & Psalm 43:5 (NIV)
Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise Him,

my Savior and my God.

What is one to do when you are faced with the storms (testings, tribulations, trials) of life? Or when you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4)? The answer of the psalmist sounds as strange as the question: Preach to your soul! Take yourself in the hand, look yourself in the eyes, and preach this message: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? HOPE in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Ps. 42:5,11; 43:5).

What possible HOPE is there? The psalmist, though in lament, is not in despair. He turns his mind from the disease to the cure, from anguish to remembrance, deliberately recalling to mind God’s grace and faithfulness and covenant vow. He forces himself to think of realities other than his own troubles. It is here that we come to the second element in these two psalms:
Psalm 42 : 1- 4 : the psalmist’s spiritual hunger leads to joyful memories of past worship
Psalm 42 : 6 -9 : which leads to remembrance of the Lord and realises that God is still in control, still present in steadfast love and still trustworthy!
Psalm 43 : 1 – 4 : the psalmist turns the questions into prayers, seeking God’s vindication and guidance and thereby replaces his darkness and fear into “the joy of the Lord”.

With this “HOPE” the psalmist can say : “ I SHALL YET PRAISE HIM”!
To be able to Praise God In The Storm, there are 2 key elements that a worshiper must do:

a) HOPE in God - To have HOPE you need the element of FAITH. Hebrews 11:1 says "now FAITH is being sure of what we HOPE for .... and you can confidently do so if your FAITH is rooted in His WORD because FAITH comes by hearing and hearing by His WORD (Romans 10:17). And your focus is in the Lord Who is Your Fortress, Your Hiding Place, Your Refuge .... the Author and Perfector of Your FAITH! (Hebrews 12:2)

b) You make a CHOICE to praise Him - We can read of many instances in the book of Psalm where the psalmists tell his soul to bless the Lord in the midst of their "storms":

* Psalm 7:17 - I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High!
* Psalm 9:1 & 2 - I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High
* Psalm 16:7 - I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
* Psalm 18:49 - Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O lord; I will sing praises to Your name.
* Psalm 30:1 -I will exalt You, O Lord, for You lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
* Psalm 31:7 - I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
* Psalm 34:1 - I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
* Psalm 52:9 - I will praise You forever for what you have done; in Your name I will hope, for your name is good, I will praise You in the presence of Your saints.
*Psalm 54:6 - I will sacrifice a freewill offering to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord for it is good,
*Psalm 59:16 - But I will sing of Your strength in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

I can show you more ... but some of my favourites are found in Psalm 103: 1 & 2 and Psalm 104:1. Here we find king David literally telling his soul - "PRAISE THE LORD, O MY SOUL ...!"

‘Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.’ (Psalm 42:5) When we are ‘down’, we need to address and rebuke our soul (mind, emotions and will). We must command ourselves to put our hope (certain assurance that whatever happens, God is in control) and, despite the difficult situation, still praise Him who is our Saviour and our God. Psalm 42 : 5, 11 & 43:5 (NIV)

Today are you in the midst of a storm? Is your soul cast down? Like to share with you this powerful song "Praise You In The Storm - by Casting Crowns". May you take comfort from Psalm 121:1 - " I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Keep praising the Lord!
TPWC

WORSHIP IS COSTLY - PART 2

I Will Not Sacrifice To The Lord My God

Burnt Offerings That Cost Me Nothing

2 Samuel 24:24

David could have simply taken Araunah's threshing floor. After all, the offering was for royal purposes, a sacrifice to end a plague on the kingdom. And Araunah offered his property willingly. There was no reason for David to pay for the site other than overriding fact: This was an act of sacrifice!

David understood the central significance of sacrifice. It has to cost something. Worship that is easy to give is neither deep nor meaningful. It may contain the right words and the right actions, but it doesn't indicate anything about the heart of the worshiper.

We have no trouble understanding this principle in our social lives. When we receive a gift that cost the giver a lot, we are deeply grateful. When we receive a gift that was cheaply obtained, we are more casual about our gratitude. Costly gifts mean something to us because they tell us something about the feelings and generosity of the giver. They give us a glimpse into the depth of the giver's love. They reflect the true meaning of giving. Sacrificial worship reflects the true meaning of giving too. God receives gifts like we do: with an understanding that the sacrifice involved usually correlates directly with the love behind it. An act of worship that costs us nothing isn't much of an act of worship. No love is required to give cheap gifts. The God who sees into our hearts knows that better than anyone.

Does your worship cost you anything? Or, more pointedly, does it cost you anything other than a couple of hours on Sunday morning and a small percentage of your paycheck? Those are important gifts to give, but God is looking deeper. He is looking for worship that flows from the heart every day of the week. He is looking for the love behind the gift.

Learn to say with David, "I won't make cheap sacrifices for God." After all, He didn't make cheap sacrifices for us.

An extract from Worship The King - by Chris Tiegreen

Have A Blessed Week - TPWC

WORSHIP IS COSTLY

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 perfume.

John 12:3

King David was not a perfect man - in fact he was an adulterer and a murderer, among others. Yet God called him a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22), because David was man who loved God, who discovered many of God's divine principles and obeyed them. This is seen in 2 Samuel 11 where Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sin of adultery with Barsheba. David's immediate response was, "I have sinned against the Lord." (2 Samuel 12:13). God never smiled on or condoned David's sin but He forgave David because David repented. This principle for forgiveness was shown by David himself when he found king Saul sleeping at the entrance of the cave who was seeking to kill him. David merely cut off the skirt of Saul's garment because he saw that it was not for him take vengence but to forgive just as God forgives.

David discovered God's principle of pouring out in 2 Samuel 23:13-17. Here, in response to an uttered wish by King David for water from the well of Bethlehem, three of his mighty warriors broke through the army of the Philistine that surrounded them and obtained that water for him. Yet, instead of drinking it, David poured it out before the Lord, saying , "Is this the blood of men that went in jeopardy of their lives?" He had a legal right to drink that water, but he realized that there was a higher principle involved then just merely drinking it and satisfying himself and his desire, and so he poured it out on the ground before the Lord as an offering.
A similar episode is found in John 12:3, where a young woman poured out an alabater box of precious perfume upon Jesus. It was a posture and an act of a glorious worship seen in the Bible (PROKUNEO - To Kiss, To Kneel Down In Reverence And Adoration). WORSHIP IS VERY COSTLY! - The alabaster box of purest perfume represents part of her entire future. Yet when she poured it upon the Lord, the smell filled the whole house.

What is our motive for going to the house of the Lord? Do we complain, "The Lord did not touch me tonight." Do we go to ask for blessing or to pour out our worship to the King of heaven? There is a difference between going there for Him to please our hearts and going there for us to please His heart. We touch a higher dimension in God when we learn to give up the deepest desires of our hearts and pour them out before the Lord. It does not mean we do not care any more about these desires; in fact we will care more about them than we have ever cared in our lives. But when we touch this principle of pouring out in worship, it will not really matter as long as He receives the glory, and God will accept our offering, turning the barren earth in our hearts into new life.

Abraham knew the meaning of pouring out in worship. When God told him to sacrifice Isaac to Him, Abraham did not bargain but obeyed. He knew God so well that in Genesis 22:5 he could say, " ... I and the lad will go yonder and WORSHIP and come again to you." As a result of his obedience, Abraham met the God of resurrection (Hebrew 11:17-19), and God promised him He would bless him and multiply his seed. Only that which is offered in death will spring forth in resurrection life.

Blessings - TPWC

A SONG IN THE NIGHT

Behold, bless the LORD, All you servants of the LORD,
Who by night stand in the house of the LORD!
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the LORD.
The LORD who made heaven and earth Bless you from Zion!
Psalm 134:1-3 (NKJV)

It is a strange time for adoration to stand in God's house by night, to worship in the depth of sorrow. It is indeed an arduous thing. Yes, and therein lies the blessing; it is the test of perfect faith.

In the Bible, night often represents times of trials, testings, tribulations, persecutions ... In our modern days we would easily identify some of these "nights" as times of disappointments when friends fail us, unanswered prayers, sicknesses, lost of jobs, depressions or even bereavements ...

The Psalmist in Psalm 77:6 Said "I Call To Remembrance My Song In The Night." A song in the night is always a song of faith. That is why the Bible stresses that God is a God who gives songs in the night. Songs are therapy and are like vitamins that lift the soul and give it courage to make it through the night. In Psalm 42 where there is a struggle with depression the Psalmist says in verse 8, "By day the Lord directs His love; at night His song is with me." In Job 35:1 we read of God as One "Who gives songs in the night."

Did you know that the only record that Jesus ever sing is in Matthew 26:30 and it was at night in a very stressful situation. Jesus is about to earn His title as the Man of sorrows acquainted with grief. He was heading for the worst and the last night of His life before the cross. The agony of Gethsemane, the anguish of His betrayal, arrest, and illegal condemnation was His agenda for the night, and He knew it. Yet He joins His disciples in a song. A heart filled with song is better prepared to face sorrow. The thing we need to see here is that Jesus lived as a real life on our level. Real life is like that, and Jesus is singing with His disciples now, and in a matter of minutes he will be facing the cross!

The other record about people singing in the New Testament is Paul and Silas in Acts 16:25. We read, "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God." They were in the Philippian's jail and fastened in stocks. Not the best position for singing, nor the best atmosphere, but there they were praising God in song!

As Lifestyle Worshipers there are times we will walk through the "desert places" or "valley of the shadow of death". These are times God will give us a song in the night but we must make a choice to sing - to offer Sacrifice of Praise. A song in the night is always a song of faith that night is sure to give way to the light.

Personally the Lord has given me songs in the night like "As A Deer"- Martin Nystrom, "Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord" - Matt Redman ... and many more ... these songs are now more than my favourite songs, nice lyrics or good feels but they are songs that have become personally mine given by the Holy Spirit that have come out of the fiery trials!

Are you in the "fiery furnace" or in the "Lions' den" or in "the valley of the shadow of death"? Let's join the Levites (worshipers) in Psalm 134:1-3 to sing:

Behold, bless the LORD, All you servants of the LORD,
Who by night stand in the house of the LORD!
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the LORD.
The LORD who made heaven and earth Bless you from Zion!

Have A Blessed & Victorious Week! - TPWC