Silence!
“But the Lord is in His Holy Temple—let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
Habakkuk 2:20
One Day all clamoring, chatter, conflict and confusion will cease; much better if it happens before one’s forced to.
Picture if you will an internationally-acclaimed symphony orchestra warming up before its long-awaited performance. The concert hall is packed to overflowing. Patrons of the arts are dressed to the hilt. The buzz of chitchat fills the cavernous room.
But, then he appears.
The famous conductor walks onto the stage to the thunderous applause of the crowd. Decked out in a long-tailed tuxedo, the white-haired, elderly maestro acknowledges their greeting and slowly steps upon the platform, baton in hand.
A hush falls over the crowd. Every member of the orchestra sits perched on the edge of his/her seat, eyes glued to their leader, awaiting his command. Then, in one fell swoop, his white baton flies through the air and the hall is filled with the deep, rich, harmonious strands of music. The wait was worth it as the beauty of the heart-stirring melody wafts its way to waiting ears.
If such earthly gatherings stir us, how much more so the scene described in today’s Manna.
“But the Lord is in His Holy Temple.”
Dear Pilgrim, can you picture this in your mind’s eye?
Even now, do you see the Lord God “high and lifted up, His royal train filling the Heavenly Temple” (Is. 6:1)? If you listen, can you hear the sound of the seraphims’ wings beating as one in that Holy of Holies “not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (Is. 6:2; II Cor. 5:1)?
Shhh. . . “be still and know that He is God” (Ps. 46:10a).
Quiet your heart and calm your mind. Cease from your racing thoughts and “capture them as you bring them to Jesus’ feet” (II Cor. 10:5). Focus your mind upon that Holy Temple where even now our Risen Lord “ever lives to make intercession for us” (Heb. 7:24-25).
Yes, “keep silence before Him.”
Sometimes He Comes In The Clouds By Steven Curtis Chapman With Chords and Lyrics
I really wonder why I cannot find a music video that is worth watching of my favorite song, this song. There are not much about this song around the net as far as I’ve tried to search about it. However, I was able to extract an online MP3 Play, lyrics and chords.
This song is included in the album “My Utmost For His Highest” which I highly recommend. All the songs in it are extremely beautiful and touching. This is the Album that I wouldn’t miss in my music library.
So, go ahead and listen to this song:
The Danger of Self-Righteous, Self-Trust
“And He spoke this parable unto certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.”
Luke 18:9
It’s a cancer of the soul that blinds one to his/her perilous condition.
Self-righteous pride.
Anyone who’s ever viewed the damage caused by termites can understand today’s Manna when viewed through spiritual eyes. Just as termites eat up the wood within a board, leaving its exterior looking good-as-new, so does self-righteous pride destroy one from within, leaving them as a “whitened sepulcher full of dead men’s bones” (Mt. 23:27a).
Outwardly, they appear very religious—yea, even “spiritual.”
But, inwardly, they are full of “all uncleanness, hypocrisy and iniquity” (Mt. 23:27b-28). Religiosity and adherence to rituals are their forte, making them proud of them humility and critical of others’ seeming spiritual inadequacy.
That’s why the unnamed Pharisee prayed as he did.
Even though it seems he prayed “with/to himself,” Jesus knew the “thoughts and intents of his heart” (Heb. 4:12) and knew the content of his prayer: “God, I thank you that I’m not as other men are” (v.11a).
Paid and Free Bible Softwares For Everybody
Today, I want to give to you free tips where you can get totally FREE Bible Softwares and PAID Bible softwares that is worth your every penny.
Probably you already know some few things about Bible Softwares but you are having difficulties where to get it for FREE. No worry, this post is all about Bible Softwares.
Before going to my personal recommended websites for FREE Bible Softwares, I want to make a point first. I want you to know that most FREE Bible softwares that you can find over the net are not that excellent. Some are difficult to use and some are even more buggy.
Paid Bible Softwares on the other hand are quite expensive depending on how huge the content is. But in exchange, you will get a full tech support, ease of use, and an excellent experience of using the Bible Software Library.
Who Am I by Casting Crowns with Lyrics and Chords
I intentionally chose the video below despite the fact that there are lots of videos with better sound in You Tube. This is because they did it in a creative presentation which you can also do in your Churches. May the video, lyrics and the chords be useful to you and your ministries.
Source of Chords and Lyrics: http://www.higherpraise.com/lyrics/cool/w/1626.htm
Who Am I
By: Casting Crowns
Intro: G C Em D (x2)
G D/F# Em7
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
D/F# C D C
Would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt
G D/F# Em7
Who am I, that the bright and morning star
D/F# C D C
Would choose to light the way, for my ever wandering heart
C D Em7 D/F#
Not because of who I am, but because of what You�ve done
Em7 D/F# C D
Not because of what I�ve done, but because of who You are
Lesson 6: Preaching With Passion
Preaching with passion is preaching with feelings with reality in the preacher’s life. This means that not only that he feels the message but also lives with it. It is hard to preach when the things that you preach is not true to your life.
Preparing Yourself Just Right Before You Preach
It is very hard to preach when there is something bothering us at the back of our minds. Sometimes these things comes from our own homes. There are times that it was caused by circumstances and problems within your family, and there are also times that it was caused by outside factors. I enlisted here some of the causes of a pre-occupied mind.
* Lack of devotional / personal time with God. Being a messenger of God’s word compels us to study and know God’s word or else, we will never know what God is saying to us and to our church. And all the more that we need to devote a personal time with God in our everyday life.
* Lack of prayer life. If we cannot have a personal devotional life, then it is also difficult to have prayer life. Without a prayer life, our daily battles will always be a failure.
* Conflict with a friend or a family. From my experience, this is one of the most common problems with those whom I am training. It is very difficult to have conflicts against other people and all the more if the conflict is within your family especially if it is between the spouses. It would be hard for a husband to preach when he sees his wife frowning at the back seat.
* Problems. Problems may also cause us to have a pre-occupied mind. When we have problems, we cannot think well about our preaching because we are thinking about the solution for that problem.
The Prayer God Always Hears
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner’.”
Luke 18:13
Even after we’re born from above, this prayer should never be far from our lips.
His Mercy.
Jeremiah knew that’s what keeps us from getting what we deserve and being consumed in God’s righteous judgment (Lam. 3:21-23). Assuredly, we should be thankful for His Grace, by which we’re saved and receive eternal life (Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9); however, it’s His continuing, day-by-day Hand of Mercy that prevents His wrath from fully falling on us.
Today’s Manna is taken from that poignant parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (vv.9-14). True-to-form, the pompous, proud, self-righteous Pharisee was proud of his religiosity and wanted to let everyone know it, even though in this case he evidently kept it to himself (vv. 9-11a). Even so, he might as well have been broadcasting it from the highest point of the Temple, for it’s clear he was really referring to the nearby tax collector when he said “I thank You that I am not as other men are.”
Oh, is that right?
Do we ever reach a point where we can honestly say, “Lord, I thank You that I’m not like so-and-so over there”? Well, maybe with regards to our “Do and Don’t Do List.” But, dear Pilgrim, that’s not what God looks at; He looks at the heart and our secret intents/motives (Heb. 4:12). And, when we forget it’s “only by His mercies that we’re not consumed” (Lam. 3:22), then we’re on pretty dangerous grounds.
His Liberating Truth
“Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on Him, ‘If you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed. And, you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free’.”
John 8:31-32
When His Spirit indwells us, His Word will enlighten, invigorate and liberate us.
What’s that Book you hold in your hands, Pilgrim? Do you call it the Bible? Holy Scriptures? The Word of God? And, what version are you using? The King James? Revised Standard? New International? American Standard? Good News?
So often we miss the truth of today’s Manna because we get caught up in the nuts-and-bolts of things, rather than the Essence of it. When Jesus spoke our Manna, there were some who believed (v.30) and some who wanted to get rid of Him (v.59). Thus, we shouldn’t be surprised, alarmed or dismayed when the same still happens today (Jn. 15:18-25).
Restful Slumber
“I laid me down and slept; I awoke—for the Lord sustained me.”
Psalm 3:5
When His Promises form our mattress and His loving Arms our pillow, we need not worry if we’ll be able to sleep tonight.
Worries. Anxieties. Fears. Cares.
Regardless of what name you put on them, they’re still the same—these “robbers of our rest” at the end of day. Although they may seem to be in hiding during the daylight hours, they’re still there, lurking in the shadows. But, once the sun begins to set, they spring forth with renewed vigor, seeking to fill our heart and mind with foreboding thoughts of “what if” and “doom, despair and agony on me.”
Yet, David, who interestingly wrote today’s Manna while fleeing from his own son’s murderous overtures, was still able to find peace-of-mind and rest-of-body in spite of it all. No doubt his heart was aching as he thought about Absalom’s hateful actions toward him. Any parent’s who ever felt the terrible sting of a child’s open, rebellious ways knows full-well how he must have felt.
But, instead of focusing upon the accusations or vicious actions, he chose to focus upon the God of Abraham instead: “But, You, O Lord, are a Shield for me—my Glory and the Lifter Up of my head” (v.3). And, instead of suffering in silence, he “cried unto the Lord with his voice” (v.4a)—which, no doubt means he wept openly. . .his groanings of soul being quite audible and likely echoing in the hills or cave walls around him.
How pitiful the plight of such a mourner UNLESS the one weeping knows, like David, “He hears you out of His Holy Hill” (v.4b). Hallelujah!! That’s why David was able to “lie down and sleep.” He knew his all-seeing, all-hearing, all-loving Protector and Provider was on-duty 24/7/365 (Ps. 121) and would watch over him through the night—and there was no need for both of them to stay awake. Glory!!