Friday, March 27, 2015

Less is More: Homage to the Son


"Do homage to the Son..." Psalm 2:12

Homage means to kiss. However in practice, it was a promise, with a ceremonial acknowledgement, by a vassal of allegiance to his lord, who then kissed the vassal after his declaration. When directed towards the Lord, homage is a reverential worship and expression of devout affection. A vassal is one who has been given a territory of land in exchange for his allegiance and usually military services. 
May we recognize that all we have and all we own, belongs to the Lord. May we pay homage to Him and sincerely express an allegiance to Him!
At times we collect and pile stuff around us thinking that ownership of all this stuff will somehow bring us satisfaction. The truth is, when we give all that we have to the Lord, recognizing it really is all His anyway, and commit ourselves to following His ways with all that He entrusts to us, then peace will flood our souls like nothing else can. 
May we acknowledge the Lord in all our ways, trusting in Him with fear and honor, receiving His healing and refreshment as a result! Proverbs 3:5-8
We don't need to try and build a kingdom for ourselves. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are a part of a greater kingdom--an eternal kingdom--not made with hands. When you feel dissatisfied with what's around you--whether clutter or lack--then look to the Son and pay homage to Him. Ask Him to show you His kingdom and your place in it. Seeing the glory of His kingdom will satisfy you more than any earthly thing ever could! Psalm 145:8-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10.


biblehub.com, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible,
http://1828.mshaffer.com, 1828 Noah Webster , retrieved March 27, 2015
Re-prayer March 24, 2012

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Pause and Reflect



I once heard a person quote another who said, "I have so much to do today, I must spend 3 hours in prayer!" This person learned that seeking God and His plans make everything work. Those times when we feel too busy to seek the Lord are the very times we need to seek Him the most. Those moments when we close our eyes, quit looking and listening to all the noise, put our own plans on hold, and seek God are vital moments to treasure.

"While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Genesis 8:22

There are things beyond our control that God has established. The seasons, the structure and the mysteries of the earth will speak to us of the greatness of God. These are the things we must open our eyes to, while closing them to that which would distract us away from Him. God draws us away to the peaceful place in Him where we can see the kingdom He is building. It is a strong and stable kingdom that is not effected by the trends and hype of the moment.

The angels around the throne of God call out to each other saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." Isaiah 6:3. His glory is here in the earth. There is evidence of it all around us--in creation and in people. As we see the glory of the Lord we are transformed into the same image by His Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18). Take a moment--or several moments--to pause and seek the Lord, see His glory and be changed into His image!

Lord God, we want to see You! We want to see Your glory and be changed into Your image over and over again. We want to go deeper and get closer to You. We are not satisfied with where we are, we want to know You more. We lay aside our plans, our busyness and all the noise around us and seek Your face.

Re-prayer March 17, 2012

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Appeal to Heaven

Note the appeal to heaven flag at the top of the mast
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings,
be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority,
so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
1 Timothy 2:1-2

We pray for those in authority so that we may live a tranquil and quiet life, in all godliness and dignity. God's best for us is a peaceful and godly life. One thing that can interfere with that is leaders who are ungodly. This would be those who interfere with our worship. Not only interfering by prohibiting our assembly or right to our beliefs, but also by interfering with our livelihood--our craft, our skill, our business or our jobs.

Our gifts and talents are given to us by God and when we use those gifts, it is an expression of worship. It honors the Lord when we use the gifts He's given us. Our gifts are the way He has chosen to provide for us, and bless society through what we produce. When we pray for those in authority, we pray for continued freedom in worship, as well as freedom in our business or livelihood.


"Father God, I pray for Waterford, for Michigan and for the United States, that all those in authority, including those that influence our president, our lawmakers and our judges, be godly people who recognize that You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I pray You raise up and place leaders in positions of government who are Your spokesmen, filled with Your wisdom and anointing. I pray that the knowledge and understanding of our founding fathers be transferred to our leaders and all those in authority. In the words of John Locke, we "appeal to heaven" for Your justice, so that we may live a quiet and godly life as You desire."

Read the story of the Appeal to Heaven flag at AppealToHeaven.org
Michigan's State Tree is the Eastern White Pine. Which is the same pine on the Appeal to Heaven flag.

Re-prayer March 10, 2012