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Jesus Wont SHOULD On Us

Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey and examine one word: seek.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering, we considered one word: SEEK. This week we will consider the language of friendship with Jesus: PRAYER. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”

PROMISE: Matthew 11:28-30

          You can Come to Me in Prayer

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Jesus is a friend who walks with us on our journey through trials, temptations, troubles, weakness, and share our sorrows. He does not “Should” on us. Instead, He lovingly teaches us through His unforced rhythms of grace. 

PSALM: What a Friend We Have In Jesus originally was written as a poem by Joseph M. Scriven in 1855.

                                  B.F.F.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer

Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer

We see the acronym B.F.F. as captions under pictures with our friends. Scrivens informs us of our true best friend forever. He describes Jesus as our faithful best friend (John 15:15) forever.  A friendship with Jesus is a friendship with eternal benefits that were demonstrated and sealed on the cross (John 15:13). Jesus does not condemn (Romans 8:1) us for what we should do but offers us forgiveness of our sins. His faithful friendship promises us that we shouldn’t dwell in our discouragements. Instead, when we experience trials, temptations, and troubles (and we will),  we can talk to Him and He will share our sorrows. 

  Shame Web Brene Brown

PARABLE:  The word “should” is often used to entangle us in a web of shame. It confines us to expectations of who we should be, how we should be, and what we should be. When we experience trials, temptations, troubles, and the weaknesses of our hurts, habits, and hangups our inner critic and our external critics will curse us with “SHOULDS.” I am so glad that Jesus does not “Should on Us.” He is a gracious friend who joins us in our most discouraging times and loves us like no other friend can love us.

 

 

PONDER and WANDER:  

If you choose, Ponder the questions: Who has “shoulded” on me? Am I trapped in a shame web of “shoulds?”

If you identified who has shoulded on you and that you have been trapped in a shame web of who you should be, how you should be, and what you should be by yourself or by others, you may choose to complete the below soul training exercise and  take it to The Lord in P.R.A.Y.E.R.

Soul care training exercise: Follow the P.R.A.Y.E.R. steps below to untangle yourself from the web of should and shame. 

Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you if you are entangled in a shame web.
Repent for the hold the shoulds have made in your life
Ask God to show you who He says you are
Yield to His identity
Expect Him to walk with you on your journey
Rejoice that Jesus is your friend who will help you through your trials, temptations, and troubles and will share your sorrow

PRAYER:  Jesus, thank you that you are my faithful best friend forever. What a privilege it is that I can carry everything to you in prayer. Your name is a strong tower where I can run and be safe (Proverbs 18:10) from shame when others “should” on me. Shield me from the shame triggers of  appearance and body image, sexuality, family, marriage, motherhood, fatherhood, parenting, careers and professional identity, vocations and religious identities, mental and physical health, aging, religion, speaking out, and surviving trauma that attempt to draw me away from our friendship. Give me the wisdom to be able to recognize that shame needs to be acknowledged and understood before it can be overcome. Give me the desire to take it to you in P.R.A.Y.E.R. In the healing name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to thank God for the friend you have in Jesus. Let the work of your wandering fill you with the love of Christ.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Jesus Wont ” Should on Us”   appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image attributions:
You can come to me in prayer: Pixaby image with added notations
BFF – Belovedwomen.org image with added notations
Shame Web – Brene Brown
P.R.A.Y.E.R. – Pixaby image with added notations

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What Weight Will You Lift to the Lord Today?

Trouble – Tests

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus
By: Joseph M. Scriven, 1819-1886 (1855)

Listen to this simple piano version as you read, or watch the video complete with lyrics then read.  Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes everyone.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the complete Subscribers content, click here.

Everyone enjoy this video, and the transcript below.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We continue our journey through another great hymn today.  The second half of this stanza concludes with the same phrase, so it is fair to say this is the main thrust of the stanza, “Take it to the Lord in prayer”.  What are we supposed to take to Him? Good question.  Let’s tune our hearts.

Triple T’s

Trials, temptations, and troubles. Talk about a 1-2-3 punch! And each one of them is an example of our faith being tested.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. James 1:2-3 ESV

Notice it does not say “if” you meet trials, but “when”.  So that answers the rhetorical questions about trials, temptations and troubles.  Yes, there are everywhere.  Everyone has them.  Practically all the time, on one level or another.  

And so we have set the stage upon which the great drama of our life unfolds.  We all have these various tests of our faith which come to produce steadfastness in us.  Exactly how does that happen though?

Barbell

I think of lifting weights.  When you lift a barbell up and put it back down, with good form, you are tearing muscle, which as it rebuilds will make you stronger.  The same is true of these “tests,” whatever form they take.  When we lift them up to the Lord, and put them down in His capable hands, we are tearing down worry and replacing it with faith which makes us stronger.

Try it.  What is testing your faith today?  Name the trial, temptation, or trouble.  Now, carefully and with good form lift it to Jesus and put it in His hands.  Tell Him you are going to trust Him with it.  And leave it there.  When it comes to mind again, repeat the whole action.  Keep repeating it until your faith in Jesus is strong enough to overcome it.  But be on alert, because there are other “faith” muscle groups that need a workout, and so more trials, temptation, and troubles are likely already on the way!

Discouraged?  Pray.

We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Well, that is certainly easier said, or sang, than done.

Discouraged? Pray.

Can you remember the last time you were discouraged?  You were facing some situation, and the courage to stand in it seemed to have disappeared.  You knew what you should do, or at least feel, but you were struggling.

We have all been there.  We have all been discouraged.  The writer is not saying if you have been discouraged, then you suck at matters of faith.  What he is saying is when you find yourself discouraged, there is a better solution than sucking at matters of faith.  Put your faith to work, whatever faith you have, and take that discouraging thing, situation, person, etc. to the Lord in prayer.

So, let’s go back to our weight training illustration.  When you finish with your bicep curls with that barbell, it is time to work on some other area.  Let’s say shoulders.  You position the barbell and begin to work that new muscle group.  On some level, you may feel like you lack the courage to do this.  Your biceps are already throbbing, and now you are going to subject another muscle group to the same testing.  But it is for your good.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  Philippians 4:6 ESV

You may not feel anxious or even be discouraged about your shoulder workout, but something may have you down today.  What is it?  What is sucking the courage right out of you? I have mine in mind.  Do you?  Give thanks to God that you can identify that test and then acknowledge your need of Him, asking Him for the courage to pray and keep bringing it to Him.

 

Jesus, thank You that in the midst of all my tests of faith I can come to You.  I can identify them for what they are and put my faith to work by lifting them to You.  Help me do that today.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Weighty Tuning!

Keep coming back and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence.   We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

Like what you finding here?  Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Video 13.2 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

 

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Of course we have trials and temptations, even tribulations which Jesus expressly warned us about.  It is not a matter of “if”, but “when”. What is troubling you today, or these days? Take a moment and ask Jesus to show you what you need to bring to Him today.

Jesus followed His warning about tribulations with a promise. He told us to take heart because He has overcome the world. It is truths like this that allow us to sing to one another to not be discouraged, but instead take it to Jesus.  Now take a moment to bring to Him what He revealed before.

Rhetorical question. Answer: no, we cannot find a friend so faithful.  No other friend but Jesus will share all our sorrows as He does. We may have a few really good friends, and maybe even one great one, but none who can compare to the friendship Jesus offers us.  Thank Him. 

The reason we can say there is no friend like Jesus is because no one, not even ourselves, know our every weakness as He does. In spite of that knowledge, He still invites us to bring all our weaknesses, including the ones we do not even know we have, to Him.  Bring them now!

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

The post What Weight Will You Lift to the Lord Today? appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Trouble – Tests – https://pixabay.com/photos/model-man-woman-fresh-dispute-2748342/
Barbell – https://pixabay.com/photos/training-weightlifting-gym-health-2728338/
Discouraged? Pray. – https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-desperate-sad-tears-cry-1006100/

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Prayerfully Pursuing Peace and Processing Pain?

Forfeited Peace

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

What a Friend We Have in Jesus
By: Joseph M. Scriven, 1819-1886 (1855)

Listen to this simple piano version as you read, or watch the video complete with lyrics then read. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available to Subscribers, sometimes to Free Members, and occasionally to everyone.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here.  Or check out some other samples at our Free Member Content Library.  We have lots of tools and lots of options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We began our journey through another great hymn Tuesday.  The second half of this stanza focuses on two consequences of NOT accessing our friendship with Jesus: things we give up, and things we take on.  If we pay attention, both will prompt us to take everything to Jesus. Let’s think about this.

Forfeited Peace

The first thing we will examine is what we give up by failing to access Jesus.  In short, peace.  To forfeit something means to lose or give up as a necessary consequence to something else.

We mostly think of forfeit in the context of sports.  One team loses or is forced to give up as a necessary consequence to something else.  For example, one team has to forfeit the game because they have too few players to compete.  Before they even have a chance to play the game, they have to accept defeat.

In our usage, it is similar.  We lose or give up the prospect of peace as a necessary consequence of neglecting our relationship with Jesus.  For example, we forfeit peace as we deal with a difficult circumstance because we have not invested in our friendship with Christ.  Before we even have a chance to experience His peace, we have to accept the alternative: worry, anxiety, etc.

The saddest thing of all is that He has already made His peace available to us.  We can cultivate it by spending time taking things to Jesus and talking with Him about all our troubles.  This time invested ushers peace into our lives as we learn to listen to the things He has said.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.  John 16:33 ESV 

The good news is you can have peace, because Jesus has done most of the work for you.  He has overcome the world!  But we must take heart.  How do we do that?  Draw near to Jesus.  Why?  Because He told us we would have tribulation in this world.  Not might.  Will.

That passage starts off with the promise of peace, so let’s exercise it right now.  What tribulation are you facing today?  You do not have to think hard…it will be in the front of your mind.  Will you take heart as Jesus instructs?  Bring it to Him. Make the exchange.  Give Him the tribulation and all your concerns swirling around it.  Accept the peace He offers.  Do it right now.

Now some might say they can not forfeit something they never had, but I beg to differ.  Sometimes you lose even before you play the game.  Sometimes your team, or you as a player, are disqualified before the game even starts.  Maybe you failed to do everything to qualify, or you showed up late.  There are a number of ways you can forfeit in that context, and the same is true of our relationship with Jesus.  But there is one way to win.  One way to keep from forfeiting.  Go to Jesus!

Needless Pain

Needless Pain

It is more often the pain we are experiencing that drives us to Jesus than the peace we have forfeited, but even still, we are sometimes reluctant to take things to Him.  While the peace we forfeit is something we fail to grasp, the pain we bear is unavoidable and sometimes presses out other things in our lives.  All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!

I have often heard people wonder what the will of God is for them in particular circumstances.  I am walking through something in this season for which I am looking to God to reveal His specific will about a particular situation.  How will I deal with that?  How has God instructed us to discover His will?  While we wait for a specific thing to become clear, God has already made His general will for us known very clearly.  Will you walk in it?

Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 ESV

So Jesus has overcome the world and invited us to take heart.  The way we do that is by praying continually, and giving thanks in all circumstances.  But let’s be honest, those are both more challenging than they first appear to be.

Pray without ceasing.  So does this mean that I do not stop praying when someone asks me a question?  Or do I half listen to them as they do, because I can not stop praying.  No.  It means that we pray and listen, and pray and talk, and pray and work, and pray and play, and pray and SLEEP!  Yes.  We keep praying.  No matter what.  Pray.  So do not feel defeated by the reality that you have other things to do, just pray again the next chance you get, even while you grow in the discipline of praying while you are doing other things.

Give thanks in all circumstances.  Learn the discipline of giving thanks to God in all circumstances.  Note it does not say for all circumstances.  You do not have to thank God when someone hurts you, but you could give Him thanks that He gave you the grace to respond kindly, or see past the hurt they caused to see how they are hurting.  You can find a reason to give thanks to God in all circumstances because He is always working to show you His love and grace.

Ask Jesus to show Himself to you as a friend today.  Think of your praying and giving thanks as conversation with a friend.  Determine to talk to him in a tough situation and a terrific situation today.  Just tell Him how you feel.  Thank Him that He is with you.  Make it your goal to take everything to Him, but start where you are and grow from there.

Jesus, show Yourself to me as friend today.  Remind me to talk to You in the terrible and terrific today,  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Conversational Thinking!

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness?  Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Podcast 13.1 Transcript

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!

John 15:13 ESV

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus is our friend.  He laid down His life to put Himself in a position to bear all our sins AND griefs.  He is our Savior to be sure, but He is more than that. He is our friend. Are you convinced of that?  Either way, ask Him to show you this truth again today.

What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer!

1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God…casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Praying is a humbling thing.  It acknowledges that we are not in control, and we like to be in control!  But when we cast all our anxieties on the Lord convinced that He cares for us, humility becomes a beautiful thing.  Welcome His mighty hand today!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear,

John 16:33 ESV 

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Our peace has been purchased through His sacrifice, so why do we often try to accomplish it ourselves?  Certainly, we have a part to play in welcoming it, but we only create more trouble when we try to achieve it.  How do we take heart? Turn to our Overcomer and Friend, and surrender.

All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 ESV

Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

So what is our role?  Pray and give thanks. Talk to God constantly, asking and giving.  A continuous flow of please and thank you changes our perspective. How kind that this is God’s will for us.  Not striving, but talking. Talk to Jesus right now. Pray and give thanks.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Learning to Use Your Lips and Life appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Forfeited Peace – https://pixabay.com/photos/hands-grasses-sunset-feel-touch-2667461/
Needless Pain – https://pixabay.com/photos/people-emotion-dramatic-female-1492052/

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Can I Really Pray About Everything?

Jesus, Friend

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

What a Friend We Have in Jesus
By: Joseph M. Scriven, 1819-1886 (1855)

Listen to this simple piano version as you read, or watch the video complete with lyrics then read.  Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes everyone.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the complete Subscribers content, click here.

Everyone enjoy this video, and the transcript below.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We begin our journey through another great hymn today.  If we were too boil it all down to a phrase, I suppose we might say “We must regularly take advantage of the opportunity to talk to Jesus about everything because He is our friend”.   But we are instead going to spend four weeks to let these stanzas speak deeply to us their powerful truths.  Let’s tune our hearts.

Self-Assessment

So as we begin this journey I want you to take a few moments to get a sense of how often you take advantage of the access you have to Jesus?  I am not talking about devotions or quiet time, I mean regular conversations with Him.  Have you talked to Him today?  When was the last time?  Do you truly take ALL your sins and griefs to Him?  Do you have the peace He affords, or are you carrying needless pain?

Take a few moments and talk to Jesus right now.  Ask Him to help you grow in this from where you are right now, to a better place  where you take everything to Him.  Seriously, ask Him right now.

Jesus

When you think of Jesus what is the first word that comes to mind?  That is a bit of unfair question because He is so much, but really, what is that first word or first words.  For me, I don’t think it is generally “friend”, but it should absolutely be in the mix if I am to have a complete understanding and experience of Who He really is.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13 ESV

  • That is exactly what Jesus did…laid down His life
  • That is exactly what Jesus showed..greater love
  • That is what it makes Jesus to us…our friend

A friend like no other.  A friend who died to bear all our sins AND griefs.  That also makes Him our Savior, but He is more than that.  Why is that so hard to believe?

Oh, you believe it do you?  Have you been acting like you believe it?  Do you take everything to Him, or are you like me, taking the things that seem worthy of His attention and leaving many other things unmentioned?

This really is a mindset more than anything else, but it must begin in the heart.  We must believe that we can take everything to Him, or we simply never will.

Are there reasons you do not bring everything to God?  What are they?  Are you willing to lay them down so that you may instead grab hold of the better reality of bringing it all?

Everything

But I get it. Everything?  Really?  Yes!

So what are those reasons we do not bring everything to God.  I think they all come down to two.

  1. Our concept of Jesus is too small
  2. Our concept of ourselves is too big
Everything to God in Prayer

We start with Jesus.  If our concept of Him is too small, then we will not take everything to Him because we are not convinced He can handle it.  Now before you dismiss this really consider why you do not bring Him everything.  Is it because at some level you think He can not handle it, or does not care, or is unaware of you and your need?  Ask the Holy Spirit to make Jesus bigger to you.

We end with ourselves.  If our concept of self is too big, then we will not take everything to Him because we are convinced we can handle it.  The remedy for this way of thinking is simple, well at least saying the word is…humility.

 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God…casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV)

It still starts with Jesus though.  When we are convinced that Jesus cares for us we are willing to cast all our anxieties on Him.  When we cast all our anxieties on Him, we are humbling ourselves acknowledging we need His help.  When we acknowledge we need His help, we see just how mighty His hand is.  

Jesus is your friend.  Embrace that reality today!  Enjoy the privileges it affords.

Jesus, thank You for being my friend.  I embrace the reality today.  I want to enjoy all the privileges it affords.  Take me deeper in my understanding and experience of that.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Prayerful Tuning!

Keep coming back and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence.   We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

Like what you finding here?  Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Video 13.1 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

No one else could have borne our sins, or would bear our griefs but Jesus.  He is the friend we could have never deserved, yet is the truest friend we would ever find.  Jesus taught us that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for your friends, then he did it. Thank Him!

We all need a friend who will accept us as we are. A friend to whom we can bring everything, not just the better, shinier parts but the worse, dirtier ones as well.  Jesus is such a friend. You may know that, but I failed to practice it. What do you need to bring to Jesus today?

In these two lines we see the positive we fail to lay hold of and the negative we needlessly cling to, peace forfeited and pain borne, all for lack of accessing our friendship with Jesus. What pain do you need to take to Jesus?  What peace do you need to receive? Do it right now. Your friend is waiting.

This horizontal worship reminds us to take everything vertical.  We do not need to keep carrying the things that have long weighed us down, and likely slowed our progress in our faith journey.  Just carry them to Jesus in prayer …and then leave them there. 

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Can I Really Pray About Everything? appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Jesus, Friend – https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-god-holy-spirit-christian-3469896/
Everything to God in Prayer – https://pixabay.com/photos/prayer-hands-church-light-2544994/

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Learning to Use Your Lips and Life

Raise Your Voice

All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th’eternal Three in One.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Angels, from the Realms of Glory
By: James Montgomery, 1771-1854 (1816)

Listen to this simple piano version as you read, or watch the video complete with lyrics then read.  Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available to Subscribers, sometimes to Free Members, and occasionally to everyone.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here.  Or check out some other samples at our Free Member Content Library.  We have lots of tools and lots of options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We culminate our journey to, through, and beyond our celebrations of the arrival of our King today with a final invitation to come and worship.  It is easy to take down the tinsel and garland, the tress and wreaths, and settle back into the rhythm of life without allowing the miracle of His coming to change us.  How will you continue to respond to the access His arrival had made available today and all year long?  Let’s think about this.

Raise Your Voices, Now and Forever

Will you use you lips?  The carol puts it this way, “Evermore your voices raising”.  Surrendering our lips to His praise is a key piece to our response of worship, and if you have tried to consistently do this, you know it is not always easy.

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15 ESV

A sacrifice of praise.  This is a very common concept in Scripture: the idea that to offer something to God will cost us something.

Think about it.  If I say to God He is worthy of worship, then I must examine my other allegiances.  Are there other things that rather than being an expression of my desire to honor God, are actually competitors?  Of course.  When we resolve to do something, there are invariably adjustments we must make to follow through with that.

What adjustments do you need to make to allow your praise to be offered to our eternal Father?

Continually.  Now that is resolve.  Not a few times a week, or even few times a day.  Continually.  Without ceasing.  That is a challenging standard to try to live by.  None of us can do it in our own strength.  We absolutely need the power of the Holy Spirit to follow through on this commitment.  But find confidence in the fact that if you are willing to even make this commitment, the same Spirit that empowered you to want to offer a sacrifice of praise will help you do it.

Ask the Holy Spirit right now to make your praise continual.

Through Him.  If  you look back at the verses before this, you see that the “Him” being referred to here is Jesus.  How incredible that our desire to offer God our worship is not only imparted by Jesus, but actually accomplished through Him.  How kind of our Father to give His Son so that we could not only be made right, but continually live right.  The fruit of our lips acknowledging His name.  Not one of us can do this perfectly, but fortunately for us, Jesus has taken care of the perfect part. Praise His name!

Thank Jesus for providing everything you need to acknowledge God with your lips.

Come and Worship

But Our Lips are Simply Not Enough

We must join the eternal praise with our lips today, but that praise demands and informs an even greater response: our lives poured out accordingly.  As we offer our praise to the eternal Three in One, it must find expression beyond just the fruit of our lips.  And what exactly frames that expression?

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 ESV

We repeat the invitation that was first heard from angels and shepherds, sages and saints.  Come and Worship.
We repeat it in every stanza.  Come and Worship.
We repeat it every day.  Come and Worship.
We repeat it so others may hear and join the throng of the people of God singing, living…Come and Worship!  
Let it resound and grow in our voices.  Come and Worship.  Let it find expression in our daily living.  Come and Worship!
Let it echo from the hills and across the plains.  Come and Worship.
Let it reverberate across all time and space, even into eternity.  Come and Worship.
May it inform our actions as it consumes our lives and fills the world.  Come and Worship.

Worship Christ the (newborn, risen, _____) King!

Jesus, fill my lips with the praise of Your name.  Fill my life with the invitation to worship.  Fill eternity with the worship of Your people.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Inviting Thinking!

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Podcast 12.6 Transcript

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

All creation, join in praising

Revelation 5:13 ESV
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

We read these words from John in his heavenly vision.  It will happen. All the creatures praising. And we also read in other passages where the creation itself is ever declaring His handiwork.  Are you being intentional about playing your part?

 God, the Father, Spirit, Son,

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Here in this oft quoted Christmas prophecy, we see different representations of our Triune God, Son, Counselor (Spirit), and Everlasting Father.  God is Father, Spirit, Son and we are invited to come and worship Him. Extend the invitation to join us to everyone with ears to hear.

Evermore your voices raising

Hebrews 13:15 ESV

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

There will be no end to the praise we offer around His glorious throne, but we must rehearse our eternal occupation here and now.  We should always be lifting our voices to acknowledge His name. Use your lips to give Him glory today, then never stop!

 To th’eternal Three in One.

Matthew 28:19 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

And herein lies the purpose of our vocal praise, translating into our living the message which declares the worth of our eternal God.  We will praise Him around the throne, but we must do so now in a way that allows others to see Him. Are you engaged in such winsome praise?

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

All creation, join in praising
 God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
 To th’eternal Three in One.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond.  Until next time, be Resonant.

The post Learning to Use Your Lips and Life appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Voices Raising – https://pixabay.com/vectors/megaphone-shouting-voice-loud-man-150254/
Come and Worship – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/pray-devotions-apologize-religion-2672660/

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