Amazing Love

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (NIV)(1 John 3:1-2)

When I read these verses my mind immediately thinks of the praise song "You Are My King" which some people call "Amazing Love". If you recall the song, it reads:

I'm forgiven because You were forsaken

I'm accepted, You were condemned

I'm alive and well, Your Spirit is within me

because You died and rose again

Amazing Love, how can it be

that You, my King would die for me

Amazing Love, I know it's true

It's my joy to honor You

In all I do I honor You

Here's another devotional from Dr. Robert M. McMillan from the book of 1 John that expounds on this amazing love that brings us into the family of God and makes us God's children.

Amazing Love

John exclaims "See what love the Father has given to us in order that we should be called the born ones of God." Te scriptures find a healthy area of comparison between the procedures leading to natural birth and those leading to spiritual birth. The production of children bears a direct relationship to love. Our new birth in Christ is the product of God's love exclusively. To become the born ones of God implies the impartation of part of God's own self into our being. The apostle Paul declared that the impartation of natural birth is part of Adam himself and that thus, by natural generation, I am bent toward sin. However, the apostle further declares that to be a child of God I must lose this Adamic impartation and receive a direct seed from God Himself. This is accomplished for me by the miracle of Christ's death and resurrection. Thus we read, "If any man be IN CHRIST he is a new creation..."

John goes on to declare that since Jesus, in the flesh, was rejected as the Son of God so we too, who are born of God, will be rejected in the minds of unbelievers. The rejection is not as to our person or our work but to our claim that we are of God. Too often this idea of rejection has been equated with being unpopular in society because we are Christians. Nothing is further from the truth. Jesus was wanted for His work but He was rejected for His claim to be God. It is doubtless true that Jesus, If He had dropped this statement, would have had no earthly difficulty. So it is with believers. We are acceptable for what we are but the world rejects our claim that what we are is because we are the children of God by the miracle of regeneration.

We do not know what we shall be but because of our relationship to God in Christ and by this Divine impartation to our nature we shall be similar to Christ. This is a purifying thought.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

He Is Born Child Divine

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. (HCSB)(Romans 8:28)

Last Sunday night we had our Christmas musical and drama, "He is Born, Child Divine", here at Ridge Ave. Baptist Church. We had a good attendance, and I thought the performance went well. I want to say a special word of thanks to the Worship Ensemble for all their hard work including some long rehearsals in preparation for the musical. You did good, and I'm proud of you!

I also want to thank our set design and construction crew who did an awesome job, our audio/visual/light crew who kept us on cue, and our drama team and narrator who put the story together for us. I'm thankful and proud of our youth that stepped up and made this drama happen. We couldn't have done it without them and their dedication. We even had a real baby for Baby Jesus, little Easton. He was well behaved and so cute!

As we saw in the drama, sometimes our dreams and plans don't turn out the way we imagine. But God can take all of our hopes and make them into something far more beautiful and rewarding if we just trust in Him and follow Him with our lives.

Merry Christmas!

Joey Culpepper

The Advocate

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (KJV)(1 John 2:1)

Here's another devotional by Dr. Robert M. McMillan about our friend, defender and advocate, Jesus:

The Advocate

John continues in this chapter to deal with the believer and his sin. This is John's counterpart to Paul's declaration in Romans 6:1 which reads, "What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" Again, we state that the provision for the sin of the believer is no excuse for the believer sinning. John continues, "If any one should sin we have a Paraclete with the Father." This word Paraclete is a transliteration of the Greek word for which our Authorized Version translates "Advocate." The word means "One called alongside to help." This office of Paraclete is exclusively in relationship to believers. It carries the suggestion of the family attorney who is permanently retained in order to plead our cause in any circumstance that may arise. This same word is used of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel bearing John's name. (Jn. 14:16)

What a blessed thought that Jesus not only has saved us from the guilt of sin but is perpetually active on our behalf to break the power of sin. How often we believers slip and fall but how blessed the thought that immediately Jesus is alongside to help. Jesus knew full well the content of His own statement, "...no man shall pluck them out of my hand." And this means that we cannot even pluck ourselves out of His hand for we come under the category of the words, "no man."

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

Light And Darkness

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all...(1 John 1:5)

At this time of year, when we see the pretty Christmas lights, we think of the star that led the wise men to worship the King. Let's also remember that Jesus is the Light of the World as Isaiah prophesied--"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned." (Isa. 9:2)(HCSB) The following devotional, by Dr. Robert M. McMillan, speaks of how we can also reflect that light to those still in the dark around us.

Light and Darkness

We have noted that the major heresy being refuted by the apostle John is Gnosticism, which was an eclectic religion. By this we mean that it claimed that all religions were good, and took the best of them all and sought to mold them together into one higher religion. As with all, even in this day, who become involved in this philosophy, confusion is the result. Compromise also is necessary with this type of thinking. Perhaps these heretics had acquired the Parsee concept of the god of light and god of darkness. Certainly this concept would give them a compromise on the Deity of Jesus Christ, for the Parsees also recognized that there was a middle being between the god of  light and the god of darkness who was able to work on behalf of men. The Gnostics granted that Jesus was more than human but contended that He was less than divine.

Having identified Jesus with God, John now declares that God is absolute light with not even the remotest possibility of darkness in His person. Light, of course, represents purity, and darkness, evil.

Jesus claims for Himself that He is the light of the world. He also imparts this light to believers so that they, in turn, are the light of the world but only in a reflective sense as the moon is reflective of the glory of the sun. John, in the next two verses, indicates that believers only have this reflective ability as they walk with the Lord.   Moreover, we only have the fellowship with Jesus as we thus walk. It is, however, possible for a believer to take himself out of fellowship by walking in the darkness of carnality.

Jesus is absolutely holy and if we are to walk with Him it must be in the pathway of holiness.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

Moses

There has never been another prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. (Deut. 34:10)(HCSB)

The following worship profile is taken from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers. It is a fantastic resource for those who want to study more about worship. I highly recommend this study bible! Let's see what we can learn from how Moses worshiped God.

Moses

Imagine for a moment what it must have been like to have been Moses. By any standard, he led a very interesting and unusual life. He was raised in the household of Pharoah and received all the privileges that came with such an upbringing. He was commissioned to lead the Israelites out of Egypt after God miraculously liberated Israel from slavery. Moses had regular face-to-face meetings with the Lord on the top of Mount Sinai. In addition to all this, Moses seems to have held a great deal of influence regarding the Lord's decisions. With influence like that, what would you do? What would you ask for?

Moses the Worshiper

Consider how Moses did respond when given such power and influence. In Exodus 33, Moses had a very candid conversation with the Lord. Here we see the deep longings of Moses' heart, not for ease or comfort or affluence, but for a deeper experience with God. We see a man with a long history of miraculous experiences and encounters with God, and yet he seems spiritually unsatisfied. Relentlessly--perhaps even desperately--Moses approached the Lord with requests, both overt and implied: "Show me your intentions...If you don't go with us personally, don't let us move a step from this place. If you don't go with us, how will anyone ever know that your people and I have found favor with you?...Please let me see your glorious presence" (Ex. 33:13,15-16,18).

Learning From Moses

God is pleased with our desire to know him better and responds favorably to us. God granted Moses' request for a glimpse of his presence, and he revealed his character to him as well. Moses responded to this encounter with his Creator in the only way he could: He worshiped him (Ex. 34:8).

True contentment is found in wholehearted pursuit of God. In our "been-there-done-that" world, it is easy (and all too common) for believers to grow numb to experiences with God. We complacently talk about God, but seldom do we actually pray to him. When we do pray, often we mumble safe petitions that keep God at a comfortable distance. In the end, we settle for an anemic assent to some basic truths about Christianity. Is it any wonder that our worship often seems empty or incomplete? Instead, like Moses, we must wholeheartedly pursue God and his character in order to find true fulfillment.

Following the Example

If we desire to experience meaningful worship, we must first desire to know God. If we hunger and thirst for him, the Bible promises that he will provide for us and satisfy our needs. Would you like your worship to be completely transformed? Confess any sins that might be hindering your fellowship with God. Then ask the Lord to stir your heart, to instill within you an unquenchable hunger to know him. Meditate upon how God has revealed himself to us in the Bible, and ask him to reveal himself again. When you do see God in a new way, worship will be your only fitting response.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

The Thanksgiving of the Rich in Faith

I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings. I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your constant love and faithfulness. You have exalted Your name and Your promise above everything else. On the day I called, You answered me; You increased strength within me. (Ps. 138:1-3)(HCSB)

Happy Thanksgiving! I pray that you and your family have had a great Thanksgiving week. During this holiday season, let's be thankful for God's constant love and faithfulness just as David was when he penned the above scripture. Let's remember that it is with thanksgiving in our hearts that we can enter His gates. It is with praise that we enter His courts where we can truly worship Him in His presence. (Ps. 100:4) 


Let us be thankful for God's Word and the examples of faith we have to encourage us to put our faith in God as well. Here is another devotional from "Beside the Still Waters" by Dr. Douglas B. MacCorkle:


"The heirs with him of the same promise" (Heb. 11:9b)(ASV)


The Thanksgiving of the Rich in Faith


In this thanksgiving season our minds should be on more than turkey and its "fixings." The spiritual provisions of the Lord make rich and add no sorrow. How rich and full are our lives if we have lived by faith, like Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham, not to mention the others in the hall of faith. Meditate upon the privileges of these believers as the brief outline-suggestions unfold.


Abel worshipping God (Heb. 11:4). Worship is not atmosphere but activity of the soul. Abel's worship was: (1) done in a potent way--by faith; (2) done in a prescribed way--in God's way; (3) done in a propitious way--satisfying God by sacrifice of a substitute.


Enoch walking with God (Heb. 11:5). Walking with God is a tremendous thing. Enoch's walk was: (1) pleasing to God--so much so that God would not let it be interrupted; (2) preserved by God--so that Enoch should not see death (compare John 11:25,26). Life from God issues in a walk with God--a walk all the way into glory.


Noah working with God (Heb. 11:7). Working with God involves eternal details. Noah's work was: (1) invited by God--in the midst of great apostasy; (2) identified with the grace of God--in view of faith-righteousness; (3) inheriting the riches of God--in spite of a disobedient world.


Abraham waiting for God (Heb. 11:8-12, 17-19). Not just waiting, but waiting for God's big moments--God's perfect timing. Abraham, and let's not forget his princess of the faith, Sarah, waited for God because: (1) a promise had been given; (2) a pilgrimage had been started; (3) a prospect had been made vivid. God is never late. He comes through every time He makes a promise to His own-- and always on time (4:16). Like many of us, they were heirs together of the Grace of life in Christ.


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

Power, Permanence and Perfection

The power of an endless life...his priesthood unchangeable...perfected forevermore...(Hebrews 7:16b, 24b, 28b)(ASV)


Here's another devotional by Dr. Douglas B. MacCorkle from the book, Beside the Still Waters. Dr. MacCorkle speaks of the power, permanence and perfection of the ultimate High Priest, Jesus.


Power, Permanence and Perfection


These are factors which cannot be found even in the only God-given religion of Israel: (1) the power of an endless life, (2) the permanence of an unchangeable priesthood, (3) the perfection of an unequaled priest.


The power of an endless life (Heb. 7:1-17). This is the subject to which the author of Hebrews has been continually desiring to address himself (see 5:11). It is set forth here against the background of two Old Testament orders of priesthood: (1) Melchizedek (7:1-10), (2) Aaronic (7:11-28). The Aaronic priesthood naturally loomed largest to the Hebrew. Fifteen hundred years under Aaron eclipsed any knowledge of the other priesthood. During these years Israelites saw that their many Aaronic priests failed to live long. The situation cried for one who had the power that derives from an endless life. Men need a priest who will not be interrupted by death (see 7:23).


The permanence of an unchangeable priesthood. The Aaronic priesthood was not the first priesthood. It was a temporary arrangement at best. Because (7:24) Jesus had the power of an endless life, His priesthood will not and need not be changed. Thus (7:25) He is able to save to the full consummation all who draw near to God through Him. This means also that He performs a sustaining priestly ministry to believers, called "intercession", while we are walking here below.


The perfection of an unequaled priest (7:28). We have seen the importance of the endless life which He has, and the unchangeable priesthood which He holds. Now we are asked to note that He stands as the perfect or complete priest. There has never been another like Him. This is the kind of high priest that fits our need (7:26). No wonder that He is the surety (7:22) of a better convenant (i.e., better than the Mosaic covenant). This is especially wonderful when we recognize that this power, permanence and perfection are for our profit.


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

The Irresistible Word of God

The word of God is living, and active...(Hebrews 4:12a)(ASV)

Here is another devotional from Dr. Douglas B. MacCorkle from Hebrews which speaks about the nature of the living Word of God:

The Irresistible Word of God

Faith gives the believer a tremendous advantage. Think of the wide expanse you have in God's Word. The exercise of your faith on this Word will bring you great profit (see 4:1,2 in contrast).

Now the Word of God is by nature good news. It is on a Divine mission. It will accomplish its mission (Isa. 55:11). It is irresistible. Here's why:

It is living. The Word of God is saturated in reality. It is not only an account composed of facts, but also a full quota of truth on the point of which it speaks. You can put your finger on the pulse of this Word and feel it throbbing with life. It is throbbing with a life which is not corruptible (1 Pet. 1:23).

It produces and promotes life wherever it is mixed with faith (4:1-2). This Word is not dead or dying; neither is it dull. Many are dead who have heard the Word, but the Word still lives actively. In this Word is all the wisdom of eternity. This Word spells out the will of God so that you may do the work of God in God's way.

It works best in the heart of man. Like a seed it germinates in the soil of the heart (Matt. 13:3-9; 18-23). Because it is a living seed, the Word of God goes to work in a directed way (the term "active" means "in-work").

The Word of God is keener (sharper) at getting to its objective than even a two-edged sword. It penetrates even through the soul and spirit (the joints and marrow of the inner man). Thus, it is able to judge or discern (discriminate) the inner feelings and thinking process of the heart. In giving us God's Word (account of things), it demands of us and accounting (4:13c). Later, before Him with Whom we have to do, we must give our account of the work of the Word of God in our heart.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

Seriousness About Salvation

For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding, and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2: 2-3a)(HCSB)


Here's a devotional by Dr. Douglas B. MacCorkle from the daily devotional book Beside the Still Waters. It speaks of warnings about salvation and how we can successfully heed one of those warnings.


Seriousness About Salvation


There are seven large and serious warnings about salvation in the epistle to the Hebrews (2:14; 3:7-19; 4:11-13; 5:11-6:20; 10:26-31; 12:25-29; 13:9-15). Our text of the day is central to the first warning. This is a warning against being drifted past the steadfast word which Christ came all the way from heaven to plant in our hearts.


There are two excellent ways to heed this warning successfully.


1.  Let the Word of Christ dominate your thinking process. It will give you permanent stability. Tie your mind tightly (consider) to the Word of Christ. Read it. Memorize it. Study it. Recite it. Review it. Constantly pass it on to others. Only by use will you come to know its real value. We must all be Bible students. Then, 2:2 speaks negatively to the same point--do not take life lightly in view of the Word of Christ. The word of Moses, the Mosaic Law, was severe on the transgressor. The Word of Grace contains far more advantages for the believer and far more severity for the one who takes it lightly.


2.   Let the wealth of Christ delight your thinking process. The greatness of this salvation dawns as we add up the assets and advantages found in this salvation. While we must respect and avoid the severity-side of this salvation, we must see how attractive and great is its value. This means that we are delighted to get into the treasure house of this salvation and explore it for our own spiritual profit. God's salvation intends that we grow in Grace (2 Peter 3:18).

We only see a little of the ocean,

a few miles distance from the rocky shore;

But, oh, out there beyond the eye's horizon,

There's more---there's more!

----Author Unknown

Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

Aaron

No one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He has to be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. (Heb. 5:4)(NLT)

The following is a worship profile of Aaron from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers. I highly recommend this study bible for anyone who wishes to learn more about worship.

Aaron

Some people have greatness thrusted upon them, as William Shakespeare once reminded us. This might have been the case with Aaron, Moses' older brother. When we consider the responsibility that was placed upon Aaron, it is easy to imagine that he felt singled out for a task that was beyond his abilities. God chose Aaron to address Pharoah, since Moses felt incapable of speaking publicly. Despite the difficulty of the task, however, Aaron obeyed God. After the Israelites left Egypt, God chose Aaron again for the immense responsibility of mediator and worship leader of the Israelite community. Aaron fulfilled this role faithfully until his death.

Aaron the Worshiper

Aaron's divine calling did not prevent him from committing serious errors. He led Israel in its first act of idolatry, making a gold calf for the Israelites to worship. Later he joined his sister, Miriam, in a serious challenge to Moses' authority. Eventually Aaron recognized his sin, however, and repented, and God showed him forgiveness.

Once each year on the Day of Atonement, Aaron was appointed to enter the Most Holy Place--into the very presence of God--and make atonement for the sins of all the people. He represented the Israelites in a sacred meeting with God.

Learning from Aaron

Worship that is done according to the Lord's design is pleasing to him. Regarding the sacrifices offered by Aaron and the priests, there are at least seventeen instances in the book of Leviticus where an offering is described as  "pleasing to the Lord." In the same way, our acts of obedience and service today are acceptable sacrifices to God (Phillipians 4:18).

As mediator between God and his people, Aaron was the forerunner of a greater High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, our High Priest and Mediator, is the perfect representative of humanity in the presence of God. We may now come before God because of Christ's atoning work.

Following the Example

When we worship, we should recognize, as Aaron did, that we do not come before God on our own merits, for we are completely unworthy to do so. Yet at the same time we should worship with complete confidence that God has called us to be there and that he has made us holy by the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ. Since God has so graciously made it possible for us to come before him, we should consciously strive to offer worship that is pleasing to God.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

Study Your Bible!

I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. (1 Thessalonians 5:27)(KJV)

I would like to share this devotional with you from an old daily devotional book that belonged to my father. The book is entitled Beside the Still Waters. This particular devotional was written by J. B. Crichton.


Study Your Bible!


What a sound piece of advice with which to close this Epistle! Read--study your Bible! Bible study, to be profitable, however, must follow some definite pattern. The Bible lays down three fundamental rules for profitable Bible study.


First, study your Bible daily! Job testified, "I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12)(KJV). As the body requires food each day for nourishment, growth, and sustenance, so the soul requires a daily diet of the Word of God. Don't starve your soul!


Second, study your Bible directly! David wrote in the Psalms, "My meditation of him shall be sweet." To be really profitable, it must be your own personal study of the Word of God. davily devotional books, Bible commentaries, and sermons are valuable in their place. But if they are acting as substitutes for a personal, first-hand knowledge of the Bible in your life, then they are a detriment.


Third, study your Bible definitely! David wrote of the "blessed man" that "his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (Psalm 1:2). To be useful and fruitful, Bible study requires meditation. Griffith Thomas once said, "Meditation is attention plus intention." By that he meant that meditation was composed of two ingredients: first, giving serious thought and study to what Scripture actually says; and second, making a determined resolution that, by the grace of God, the truth of the Scripture would be put into actual daily practice.


And now let me be very practical and definite. We are urging, let's study the Bible. What are you going to do about it? Resolve to meet God alone each day in the Word and in prayer. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God..."(2 Tim. 2:15)(KJV)


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

How Can We Know If God is Pleased With Our Worship?

When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations--I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. (Isaiah 1:12-14)(NIV)

Do we want our worship to be pleasing to God? If so, then we need to ask ourselves every so often a few questions. Is our worship about us, about what we want, about what we can get out of it or about what we are giving? Or is it truly about God, about what He wants, about what He has done for us and about giving Him the praise that He's worthy of?

This little article below is taken from the NIV Quest Study Bible and I hope it will give you some new insight into what worship should and shouldn't be:

The temple in Isaiah's day had ample space around the altar of burnt offering for one to observe another's spirituality. Even the presiding priests might be impressed by the sacrifice of a large, costly animal.

Prophets such as Isaiah were aghast at such showy displays of worship. At times, God swiftly punished prideful, self-centered worship. For example, when King Uzziah tried to offer incense in the temple and lost his temper when priests tried to stop him (Israel was not to have pries-kings like its idolatrous neighbors), God afflicted him with leprosy.

True worship isn't showy. It does not call attention to or glorify the worshiper; it honors only God. It is not a mindless formality, either. It is an affair of the heart, characterized by the conviction of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:6), fervent prayer (Jms. 5:16) and open-hearted reading of God's Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). God shows he is pleased with such worship by being present with us.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

Worthy For Who He Is

Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil." Satan answered the Lord, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions are spread out in the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face." (Job 1:8-11)(HCSB)


Have you ever heard someone use the phrase "the patience of Job"? You may have heard somebody say, "She must have the patience of Job in order to deal with that situation or set of circumstances." Well, when I read through the book of Job, I see a man who is committed to worshiping God. I'm not struck so much by his extraordinary patience as I am by his enduring praise.


In the course of one day, Job lost all his worldly possessions and all his children, and yet we see a response of praise rather than anger towards God.----He (Job) fell to the ground and worshiped, saying: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord. Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything. (Job 1:20b-22)(HCSB)


Wow! He didn't blame God, but praised His name instead. Now that's a tough example of worship to follow. Job continued to worship because, despite all that had happened, he understood that God is worthy no matter what. In Job 1:9-11, Satan, the accuser of the brethren, makes the accusation that the only reason Job followed God was because he received blessings for it. Job would surely stop worshiping the Lord if those rewards were taken away. Satan may have intended to turn this argument against everyone who followed after the Lord. A more up-to-date way of stating this idea might be: "A person will worship and honor God as long as it's in their best interest."


But God knew that Job would hold fast to his faith despite his suffering, because Job understood that the Lord is worthy of worship just because He is God. So let's take our cue from Job and worship God for Who He Is rather than for what He gives us. Let's be followers whose worship is an example of enduring praise both through the good times and the bad. Let's pray for the Lord to purify our motives for following Him so that if it comes down to it some day, we will be able to proclaim along with Job: The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord! (Job 1:21b)(NLT)


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

Miriam

Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine and led all the women in rhythm and dance. (Exodus 15:20)




The following is a worship profile from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers. I highly recommend this study bible for everyone who wishes to learn more about praise and worship.


Miriam



Miriam was almost certainly the sister who "stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him" (Exodus 2:4)(NLT) when Moses was hidden in the reeds along the bank of the Nile. When Pharaoh's daughter found Moses in the reeds, Miriam cleverly suggested to her that a Hebrew woman could nurse him for her. So Miriam told their mother, who then came and took care of Moses for Pharaoh's daughter. Miriam may have felt that she spent much of her life "standing at a distance" as God elevated her younger sibling among the Israelites. In the book of Numbers we read that God had to punish Miriam near the end of her life for the jealousy she expressed toward her brother: "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us, too?" (Numbers 12:2)(NLT). However, we also remember Miriam as the Bible's first female prophet, who led her nation in worship.


Miriam the Worshiper


The word prophet suggest to us a woman who has insight into God's plans for the future. But Miriam knew that she was called to focus her people's attention on what God had already done. Recalling his provision for us in times past is a fundamental part of worship.


Miriam's song reminds us of God's majesty, faithfulness, and love. She used her gift of music to lead the women of Israel in singing and dancing and in praise to God for leading them safely across the Red Sea.


Learning from Miriam


Three features of Miriam's song to the Lord can help us in our worship today. First, Miriam's song urges the Israelites to sing. Song is a good means for etching details in our mind, and it tends to be more effective than rote memorization. Second, Miriam attributes praise and majesty to God. Third, she recalls God's salvation of his people: "He has thrown both horse and rider into the sea" (Exodus 15:21)(NLT). Miriam gave God's people a lasting reminder of their miraculous rescue from certain destruction.


Following the Example


Do you have a gift, perhaps in music or poetry, or special ability in speaking or dancing that could inspire others to worship? Remember that God calls all of us to worship Him with our abilities, regardless of how prominent our gifts are among others. Choose an event from your life or from the collective life of your church, and praise God for what he did in the situation. Focus on God's greatness, and praise him for his character.


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

I Want To Give God More

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples! (Psalm 96:1-3)(ESV)




As I think about and realize all that God has done for me, I want to give back more to Him. I want to sing of His salvation and tell of His marvelous works. I want to declare His glory among the nations. I want to take up my cross and follow Him, dying to self so that Christ can live in me to declare His glory to all peoples. I want to give Him more.


Below is a new song that the Lord gave me this week. It expresses this kind of desire to give God more by allowing Him to live through us.

Give You More

I want to worship and give You more

until there's nothing left

Help me to hold nothing back O Lord

for You deserve my best

I give You more than a prayer today

more than just what I say

I give You more than this song I sing

much more than that do I bring

I give You more than this heart of mine

please take the throne of my life

I give You all that I have to give

my life is Yours to live

copyright 2010 Heart of Praise Music

I pray that theses lyrics will somehow encourage you to want to give Jesus more of your heart...
more of your life.


Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper

God Draws Near

Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Obed, and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. "Listen to me, Asa!" he shouted. "Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with Him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you." (2 Chronicles 15:1-2)(NLT)

The prophet Azariah voiced one of the most basic lessons in the Bible: God draws near to us when we draw near to Him, but He will allow us to turn away from Him if we choose to do so. God loves us and has made a way for us to be reconciled through the sacrifice of His Son so that we can be forgiven and draw near to Him. But, as He did with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, the Lord allows us to decide whether we want to follow Him or not. With our choice comes consequences and responsibilities, and so Azariah realized that the Lord will abandon us if we turn from Him.

After King Asa heard the message from the Lord delivered by Azariah, he turned the land of Judah and Benjamin back to the Lord by removing all the idols from the land and repairing the altar of the Lord. He even deposed his own grandmother, Maacah, from her position as queen mother because she had made an asherah pole. Asa remained fully committed to the Lord and led the people to seek after God. 2 Chronicles 15:15 reads--And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought Him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around. (ESV)

So let's follow King Asa's lead and draw near to the Lord. Let's eagerly seek Him with all our heart so that we may find Him, and so that He will continue to draw near to us.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

Jacob

I will not let you go unless you bless me. (Genesis 32:26)(NLT)


The following is a worship profile taken from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers. I highly recommend this study Bible for anyone who wants to learn more about praise and worship.




Jacob


Jacob pursued God's blessing as an athlete pursues a prize. If Jacob had retired early the night before his meeting with his brother, Esau, or if he had whiled away the hours in sleepless anticipation, he would have had good reason. This was the same Esau he had cheated out of his father's blessing years ago. Accompanied by four wives, twelve sons, a daughter, and an abundance of material possessions, Jacob had made his way back to the land where his brother was still living. Yet Jacob spent the night before the meeting wrestling with a mysterious visitor until daybreak. "I will not let you go unless you bless me," Jacob persisted (Genesis 32:26). And so Jacob received a blessing, along with a new name, Israel, which means "one who struggles with God."


Jacob the Worshiper


Despite his character flaws, Jacob appreciated the greatness of God and the privilege of serving him. From his youngest days, Jacob heard the story of God's covenant with his grandfather Abraham and his father, Isaac. Jacob then continued this legacy of devotion to God. 


Notice that Jacob exerted much to gain his blessing. Going without sleep was tiring enough, but wrestling for hours surely exhausted him. And for what? The blessing was not material gain--Jacob was already a wealthy man. Jacob sought God's favor. That was the great treasure that God offered and Jacob eagerly accepted.


Learning from Jacob


Rarely do we think of worship as a strenuous exercise. Yet there are times when we are called to set aside our comfort--or our struggles--and seek only God.


Following the Example


Like an athlete who has just begun training, we may be surprised at how little endurance we have when it comes to seeking God. We may find that obtaining God's blessing is more difficult, more elusive than we first thought. Yet God calls us to persist, for he is anxious to bless us. The blessing he gives will change us, just as God's blessing transformed Jacob.


Singing His Praises,
Joey C.

God Wants the Honest Truth

But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being. (Ps. 51:6)(NLT)

Are you an honest person? Come on... tell the truth now. Are you a person of integrity--one who's truthful and sincere? That's the kind of person God wants us to be--because He is the Truth (Jn. 14:6), and He is looking for those who will worship Him in truth (Jn. 4:23). God abhors dishonesty and falseness of any kind. He hates lies. Those who are godly hate lies. (Prov. 13:5)(NLT) In fact, God cannot lie. (Titus 1:2) Did you know that Satan is called the father of lies? (Jn. 8:44)He will do whatever he can to steer you away from the truth of Who God is and away from the truth of God's redemptive plan.

There's a movie which many of you may have seen, called "A Few Good Men". The movie starred Tom Cruse and Jack Nicholson among others. At the climax of the movie there's a military trial and Tom Cruse's character, the navy prosecutor, asks Jack's character, a General, some questions trying to get to the bottom of a murder. The prosecutor says to the General--"I want the truth!" The General, yelling, replies--"You can't handle the truth!" Well, you know, the devil can't handle the truth, because God is the personification of truth. But God wants the truth. He wants honesty and sincerity from us in our worship and in our service of Him. He knows when we aren't truthful--when we're being even slightly dishonest. And our lies will eventually be exposed for what they are. Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed. (Prov. 12:19)(NLT)

There are consequences for our dishonesty with God. We can see how serious God is about this in Acts 5:1-11. A married couple by the name of Ananias and Sapphira sold some land and gave the money to the disciples. Sounds pretty good, huh? Well, they lied about how much the land was sold for. Peter found out and spoke to each of them separately. He told them that they had not lied to him and the disciples but to God. And then they each dropped to the ground dead! You can believe that sent the fear of God through the community.

In Ezekiel chapter 13 we find that God despised the false prophets who were proclaiming good news when a warning was in order. These prophets who told lies to comfort the people, were like those who built a weak wall and held it together with whitewash. God told them that their deception would soon end, that their flimsy wall would soon crash down. And God wants us to speak the truth today as well. Sometimes we need to speak up for unpopular things in our society if that means that we are standing for the truth. We must choose to follow the Lord rather than our culture, our peers or our government.

So let's praise God that His Word is truth. Let's praise Him because He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Let's pray that the Lord will expose any deception or falsehood in our life, and show us how we can worship Him in spirit and in truth causing us to become more like Jesus.

Singing His Praises,

Joey C.

Clothed in Glory

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. (Psalm 104:1-2)(NKJV)

For thousands of years people have longed to see God's glory. Sometimes God gives us a glimpse of His greatness like He did for Moses. In Exodus 33:18 Moses asks--"Please, let me see Your glory" (HCSB). God then placed Moses in the crevice of a rock and covered him with His hand until His glory passed by, allowing Moses to see only His back, because as God told him--"You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live." (Ex. 33:20)(HCSB)

Sometimes God gives us visions of His glory like the one recorded in Isaiah chapter 6, where God calls and commissions Isaiah. --In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth. (Isa. 6:1-3)(HCSB)

Sometimes the Lord uses other things and experiences in our lives to reveal His glory and His greatness. I love the song "How Great is Our God" by Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves and Ed Cash and recorded by Chris Tomlin. The opening lines of the song focus our attention on the glory and awesomeness of our Lord. Look at these lyrics:

The splendor of a King
Clothed in majesty,
Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice.
He wraps Himself in light
and darkness tries to hide,
It trembles at His voice, trembles at His voice.

Can you imagine? The darkness is driven away from the brightness of God's glory. All the forces of evil tremble at His voice. And we should tremble as well. We should have a proper respect and awe for our Lord, Who is the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty God.

In Matthew 17:1-6, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain where they soon witness a miraculous sight. It has become known as the transfiguration. They were given a glimpse of Jesus' glory that would transform their understanding of who Christ was. They saw Jesus' appearance change into a blazing white light, as if they were looking into the sun. They then saw Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus. Then a bright cloud surrounded them and a powerful voice proclaimed: "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with Him. Listen to Him." (Matt. 17:5)(NKJV) The disciples were terrified and fell on their faces at the sound of the voice. The voice was of God Himself! But their actions were right on the mark. Their gesture of worship was appropriate. Their reverence can teach us some things.

We need to consider how we respond to revelations of God's glory. We need to--just like Peter, James and John--maintain a humble attitude of worship before God. To realize that we are nothing compared to His glory and greatness. Let's thank God for giving us little glimpses of His glory and power. Let's be careful to worship Him in wonder and reverence asking forgiveness for the times we fail to recognize His true glory. His appearance is so glorious that He can wrap Himself in light. We should strive to surround, clothe ourselves with His glory. Let's do our best to live our lives in such a manner that His glory will be evident to the world around us.

Singing His Praises,
Joey C.

Abraham

Through your descendants, all the nations of the earth will be blessed--all because you have obeyed me. (Geness 22:18)(NLT)

The following is a worship profile of Abraham from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers-copyright 1997. I highly recommend this study Bible for everyone who wants to learn more about worship.

Costly. Demanding. Life-changing. We don't ordinarily associate these words with worship. Yet to Christians who are filled with the Spirit, worship becomes so vital that it transforms their entire lives. Such devotion to Christ can collide with goals, possessions, and ideals that we hold dear. But as we continually worship God, we will begin to yield them to God. Abraham may have been the first to discover the cost-- and profound reward-- of worship.

Abraham the Worshiper

Abraham marked his places of worship. He remembered the spots where God met him, and he returned there. One of the recurring phrases from his life is "Abram built an altar there to commemorate the Lord's visit" (see Gen. 12:7-8; 13:18; 22:9).

Abraham understood that the first step of worship is responding to what God has done for us. When told that he would have a son, Abraham trusted God's word. In fact, God declared Abraham righteous because of his belief (Gen. 15:6).

Abraham's defining moment of trust came in worship. God asked him to sacrifice his only son (Gen. 22). Before this, building altars had been a joy for the old man. This time, it was a labor of agony. All the while, Isaac kept wondering aloud where the animal for the sacrifice was. Only when the knife was raised and Abraham had demonstrated his willingess to give God his only son did God provide a substitute.

Learning from Abraham

Abraham understood that no one and no thing should receive higher allegiance from him than God. Even a dearly loved child must not rob our affection for God. Abraham worshiped with hands open and available to God, and God treated him with dignity. When Abraham laid Isaac on the altar, he had delivered his promised future into God's hands. As we learn about Abraham, we come to understand how much obedience costs. Worship changed Abraham. It ought to change us as well.

Through Abraham, the Lord revealed himself as the God who asks for everything. Yet in the end God gave Abraham far more than he asked from him. Until he gave everything to God, Abraham could not have imagined what God would do for him. Likewise, for us today worship can open our eyes to God's goodness and mercy to us, such as his gracious gift of redemption through the perfect sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Following the Example

In worship we place ourselves before God. Holding back any part of ourselves from God represents a lack of trust. Worship demands that we give everything to God, trusting that our heavenly Father will provide for our needs and help us grow. Take inventory today of what you are holding back from God, and then pray for help to overcome your lack of trust.

Singing His Praises,

Joey C.

One Nation Under God

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands: one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Since I was a child I've recited the words "One nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. And yet when I look at how we have turned away from God as a nation, I wonder how long we will continue to be "one nation under God" and not simply a nation gone under. When I consider court rulings which took prayer out of our schools, legalized abortion, forced courthouses to take down the posting of the ten commandments, attacked the sanctity of marriage--when I here of those who file lawsuits to take the words "In God We Trust" off our money, and "One Nation Under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance-- I often wonder what it will take for christians to finally stand up and shout "Enough is enough! It's only because of the blessings of God that we became a nation in the first place. It's because of our biblical foundations and principles and the blood of our patriots that we became a great nation. And if we continue to push God out of our nation, He will one day completely remove His hand of blessing from us so that we decay into a nation gone under."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the words "under God" to be added the the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. These additional two words were in order to differentiate the United States from the officialy atheist Soviet Union. As the president authorized this change he stated:

"In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."

In August of 1984 in Dallas, Texas, Ronald Reagan spoke at a prayer breakfast meeting and said the following:

"We establish no religion in this country, nor will we ever. We command no worship. We mandate no belief. But we poison our society when we remove its theological underpinnings. We court corruption when we leave it bereft of belief. All are free to believe or not believe; all are free to practice a faith or not. But those who believe must be free to speak of and act on their belief, to apply moral teaching to public questions.

I submit to you that the tolerant society is open to and encouraging of all religions. And this does not weaken us; it strengthens us...

Without God, there is no virtue, because there's no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we're mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

So let's not forget Who is in charge. Let's not turn the U.S.A. into "One Nation under Government" or "One Nation Under Socialism" or "One Nation Under Me". Because if left up to our government or socialism or self, we're in loads of trouble. I'd rather be in the hands of God than those others any day. Pray, vote and stand up for our christian values so that we can remain One Nation Under God!

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper

Lord, Heal Our Land

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

(2 Chron. 7:14)(NKJV)

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan both placed their hand on this verse as they took the presidential oath of office. I believe that if these men were still alive today they would still believe in the importance of this scripture. Like never before in our history, we need to pray for our nation. Our enemy is attacking us on all sides in this spiritual battle that's tearing at the Christian foundation of our nation. We need to pray for our nation and it's leaders. We need to pray for the Lord to send us Godly men and women who will run for office and then that we will vote them in so that they can make a difference in the direction our nation is headed. But notice, that it's not enough to just pray. God wants us to humble ourselves, pray and seek His face. He's calling us to turn from our wicked ways as a nation, and then He will forgive our sin and heal our land.

Today when I got back home from church, I read an email that was sent to me by my former pastor. I would like to share it with you now:

Some of you may be wondering what Judge Roy Moore has been doing since he was removed from the bench for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom wall. Please read the poem he wrote. The following is a poem written by Judge Roy Moore from Alabama. Judge Moore was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom foyer. He has been stripped of his judgeship and now they are trying to strip his right to practice law in Alabama! The judge's poem sums it up quite well.

America the beautiful,

or so you used to be.

Land of the Pilgrims' pride;

I'm glad they'll never see.

Babies piled in dumpsters,

Abortion on demand,

Oh, sweet land of liberty;

your house is on the sand.

Our children wander aimlessly

poisoned by cocaine

choosing to indulge their list,

when God has said abstain.

From sea to shining sea,

our Nation turns away

From the teaching of God's love

and a need to always pray.

We've kept God in our temples,

how callous we have grown.

When earth is but His footstool,

and Heaven is His throne.

We've voted in a government

that's rotting at the core,

Appointing Godless Judges;

who throw reason out the door,

Too soft to place a killer

in a well deserved tomb,

But brave enough to kill a baby

before he leaves the womb.

You think that God's not angry,

that our land's a moral slum?

How much longer will He wait

before His judgment comes?

How are we to face our God,

from Whom we cannot hide?

What then is left for us to do,

but stem this evil tide?

If we who are His children,

will humbly turn and pray;

Seek His holy face

and mend our evil way:

Then God will hear from Heaven;

and forgive us of our sins,

He'll heal our sickly land

and those who live within.

But, America the Beautiful,

If you don't-then you will see,

A sad but Holy God

withdraw His hand from Thee.

I think Judge Roy Moore has the right idea for turning our nation around. So let's pray for our nation every day. But let's do more than that. We need to individually, and as a nation, humble ourselves, pray, seek God's face, and turn from our sins. Then God will forgive us and heal our land, that America may remain Beautiful.

Singing His Praises,

Joey Culpepper