A Conversation with God...

Moses said to the LORD, "See, you say to me, 'Bring up this people,' but You have not let me know whom You will send with me.  Yet You have said, 'I know you by name and you have also found favor in My sight.'  Now therefore, if I have found favor in Your sight, please show me now Your ways, that I may know You...

Consider too that this nation is Your people."

And He [the LORD] said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

And he [Moses] said to Him, "If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.  For how shall it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people?  Is it not in Your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and Your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?"

And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name."

Moses said, "Please show me Your glory."

And He [the LORD] said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My name 'The LORD'.  And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I show mercy.  But," He said, "you cannot see My face, for man shall not see Me and live."

~Exodus 33:12-20

ESV

(photo courtesy of Fotolia)

Happy Thanksgiving

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise;
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever;
His faithfulness continues through all generations.

~Psalm 100

Teach Me to Worship

As I was praying, I was very conscious of my inablility to pray with words fitting my Maker. I prayed, "Lord, teach me to worship You acceptably." Much to my joy, He answered:

When you accept whatever situation you are in without murmuring,

you are worshipping Me.

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When you can rejoice in Me in the midst of your infirmities,

you are worshipping Me.

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When I have brought pressures to bear upon you to bring out

the gold of My nature and you bear them patiently--

blaming not Me, nor another person, nor yourself--

then you are truly worshipping Me.

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When you can "forgive yourself" for your weaknesses and

failures and cease expecting your human nature to bring

forth perfection, you are worshipping Me.

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When you have come to the place of recognizing and

acknowledging that "of myself I can do nothing",

then do I have praise of thee.

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When you can look upon a wasted life and agree that

I can and will make this one every whit whole--

that this is My desire--then you have offered Me

true worship, for you have seen My true nature.

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When you look upon My natural creation and the beauty of it

and magnify Me, than I am worshipped.

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When you hear My word within you saying

"This is the way--walk ye in it",

and ye obey My word with rejoicing, I feel worship from thee.

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When you look with compassion upon one who is afflicted,

tossed, and broken, then I am worshipped.

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When you recognize My Body and honor them as My brethren,

this is true worship unto Me.

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When thy lips are silent because of your pain,

and you lift your heart to Me, I feel your worship.

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When you say, "I cannot--please help me!"

then I am worshipped.

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Worship is a heart attitude in every place and situation in which you find yourselves. It acknowledges My Lordship, the righteousness of My nature, the truth of My Word, and the reality of my indwelling presence. You may offer true worship at all times and in every situation by keeping your heart right toward Me and toward your fellow-man.

Given to Elaine Cook,

May 1994

Bill & Elaine Cook publish "Gospel of the Kingdom", available at www.kingdomgospel.org

Pruned by Jeremiah

While making my way through Jeremiah, different lines spoke to me about my ways of worshipping idols, much like rebellious Israel. Based on Scripture from Jeremiah, I wrote out this prayer...

My God, I return to You.

There is no God like You, who is mighty in everything You put Your hands to. Whose delight is in kindness, justice, righteousness, obedience and humility. You, the Maker of heaven and earth...You desire my whole heart.

My circumcised heart.

Let me not become worthless. Nor dig my cisterns of self-sufficiency.

I do not wish to return to You in mere pretense.

Please put Your fear in me, that I may always tremble in awe of You.

Circumcise me.

My gods are worthless, and so I become worthless. My attempts of anything good are worthless without You.

I do not have wisdom, strength, riches, or anything to boast about.

I am naked and unguarded. My foolishness and selfishness are exposed.

My God, clothe me in the the boast of knowing You. Just knowing and understanding You.

Cover me in Your wisdom, strength and riches.

I desire You, and every other pursuit falls to the ground in emptyness.

I desire you, Abba.

I desire you in truth.

April 27, 2009

(Jeremiah references: 10:6, 9:24b, 4:4, 2:5, 2:13, 3:10, 2:19, 9:26b, 9:23, 9:24b)

Photo: A bride, cradling idol of Krishna. Courtesy of foto search dot com.

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Cameratismo, in blog format!