Theme: Hopeful Expectancy
Think: Music drives us,it inspires us and it most surely offers us the chance to get close to God. I am a music lover from way back and have always been surrounded by it; from my mom's old console playing record after record to my brothers who turned me on to bands like Beautiful Day, Santana, James Brown, and more R & B, Soul and Rock music. To this day, music is a passion. It does something incredible to my mood and puts a permanent grin on my face.
I can't say the same for the church music I grew up with, mostly stiff and dull except for the folk masses. The main point of Pastor Rusty's message was that worship music has the power to draw us closer to our Maker. It tells God He is of infinite worth, that we seek Him and we are wired for worshiping Him because He loved us first. As Rusty defined for us, it is our response to what we value most...Him, the Almighty God!
"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and
what we are living for." Ephesians 1:11 (MSG)
I know that God loved me so much and continues to love me as he sent his Son, his precious gift to live and die for us. I owe it to him to be exuberant about praising him. Early on at Timberlake, I was hesitant to raise my hands in the air in worship and would look around to make sure no one was looking at me. As the music began to move me, I no longer worried about what people thought but only about my surrender and love for God. What a relief that I could feel so into the praise and express myself. I draw the line at an interpretive dance though, I won't go that far because if you saw me dance you'd know I'd risk being asked to leave.
What I do know is that God will never, ever leave me and is smiling at me when I worship Him by making music, dancing, giving, lifting hands and being still and meditating. Being a music lover, I think of the song lyrics to that old Cheap Trick song, "I want you to want me, I need you to need me..." That's what I get from my God, a want and a need and I should respond in kind.
Pray: Oh God, take all of me for your glory, let me hold nothing back when I come to worship You. I thank you for loving me unconditionally and I yearn for You always. Let me be like your servant King David and come before you with total joy in my heart. Thank you for being my treasure and may I honor you in all ways for all days. Amen.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.