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Devotional for the Week - 20 October 2008 Sermon Title: True Worship Glorifies God The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. (Psalm 19:1) Introduction Worship is indeed all about God and the need to continue to acknowledge who and what God is to us. Richard Foster, a leading writer on topics of spiritual disciplines and prayer, once wrote: "Worship begins with Holy expectancy and ends with Holy obedience". How do we Glorify God? The Psalmist in Psalm 19:1 describes the goodness of God. God is great and mighty and deserves to receive glory and honor from His people. God will bless His people with His greatness and His love. Knowing this, how are we going to glorify God? In 2 Corinthians 4: 1 - 6, Paul talked about three areas in which we can do this. 1. Clear Conscience Paul was very clear about what he was doing for the Lord. With no personal agenda, no putting on of masks and with no deception or manipulation of God's Word, he kept himself in the Lord so that he will not lose heart. How do we as Christians behave in our public and private lives? Do we wear a mask to church and another at home? Paul conducted himself very well within the community and knew how to handle hard and difficult situations and never lost heart. We should do likewise. 2. How to handle the Word of God Paul made sure that he taught and lived by the Word of God. He did not deceive anyone by God's word nor did he preach about himself but Jesus Christ. The lesson for us is that we must let God's word speak and change us. In 2 Timothy 3: 16 Paul talked about the application of God's word in us - that is teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. We should not take God's word lightly but live a life that glorifies His name. 3. Reaching Out Paul talked about reaching out to others. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:6: "Let light shine out of darkness." as he wanted people to see the light and glorify God as the god of this age had blinded the people so that they could not see the glory of God. The lesson for us is that we who are in the light should continue to share the gospel so others can see the glory of God in Jesus Christ. Conclusion There is a story of a lady named Ethel Hatfield aged 76 who wanted to serve as a Sunday School Teacher, but was rejected because of her age. One day while she was doing her gardening, a Chinese student from a nearby university came and admired her garden. She invited him in for tea and shared Christ with him. The next day this student brought a friend to meet Ethel. This began a student ministry and she ministered to 70 students before her death. From this story, you can see that God is able to use anyone who is willing and available. It does not matter how old or young you are, God will enable you. I just pray that God will speak to you in your life and you will respond to Him. Prayer Response Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your great love for me. I acknowledge that You are a great and mighty God. I just pray that You will show me how I can be a light to those around me and glorify Your Name. Use me Lord to reach out to others around me. Amen. Devotional based on a message by Rev Lee Yam Kai
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