Psalm 145 (ESV)
1 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Vision without execution is hallucinationThomas Edison
Communication is clarity.Lee Cockerell
The Gospel is meant for telling.
Yes, live your life according to The Way. Yes, have the life that matches. Yes, preach the Gospel at all times with your life.
But it doesn’t end there!
In a very vocal and offensive world, I don’t know that it’s possible to be light in the world without opening your mouth at some point.
Read the Gospels and notice that almost every time the phrase “good news” or “gospel” is mentioned, it is in the context of telling.
1 Peter 1:25 (ESV)
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
I couldn’t be an atheist.
I was reminded this weekend how the church is God’s family. She’s not an organization or a building – although we’re organized and sometimes have buildings! She’s a living, growing, and beautiful organism. She belongs to Christ, and I think the only word that we should describe her with is love.
At our 2012 Alumni Retreat, I was blessed to spend time with a lot of old friends from Master’s Commission. It was a merry weekend. A real riot. We prayed, worshiped, laughed, cried, played games, and told stories I forgot about.
I can’t remember the last time I laughed as much as I did this weekend.
God really moved in our midst and I could feel His presence the entire time – even when we weren’t doing “spiritual things.” We all let down our masks and were honest about all the struggles that come with life on this earth.
We prayed some more.
When it was time to go home, I didn’t want to leave. I cried.
On the drive back, I was struggling to put words to my emotions. It was an odd feeling that I only feel when leaving groups of people that I love. What was it about a host of people who loved God and loved each other? Why did I want to pack everybody up and move into the same neighborhood? Why did everyone lament that there was an end to the weekend?
Then it came to me.
Heaven.
This past weekend was just a small shadow of what heaven will be like.
Oh yes, and there will be no end!
Until then, don’t let the enemy ruin heaven on earth.
Matthew 6:9-10 (ESV)
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.1 Peter 2:17 (ESV)
Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
