worship Archives - Page 23 of 24 - Daily Thoughts about God

“Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.” Psalm 96:6

Beauty energizes our souls.

Mountains with fresh fallen snow, streams of water winding through lush, green-tree lined banks. Quiet lakes with loons gliding in the water, calling out plaintively. Saturate your eyes with the beauty God created for us to enjoy. You will become quiet and your soul will be filled with praise to our Creator.

Babies learning new things and giving us a big smile because they know they have accomplished something amazing. Children laughing and running after butterflies or absorbed in looking for small mushrooms in the lawn or making snowmen or snow angels. They bring magic and joy into our lives.

Eagles and hawks soaring and swooping overhead little birds busy eating out of the bird feeder or bathing in the puddles. We watch, laugh and feel good. We are satisfied because God is so generous.

Sun rays shining through the beveled glass on a front door creating rainbows on a tiled floor – just for a few seconds, but so beautiful and you take time to admire God’s handiwork.

One flower blooming in an otherwise dreary street observing an act of kindness toward a harried mother or frail person. All of this is from God.

Today, take the time to notice beauty and thank God for his gift to us – it is all around us.

Father, thank you for creating so much beauty – it is all around us. Open our eyes and ears that we can see and hear. Amen.

Related Article
A Whole New Perspective: http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/stories/diane_w.htm

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/09/29/kk_beauty/
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Short Thoughts for Cell Phones – God-daily.com

by Roderick Marshall
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â€œ..standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. …And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”Â
Luke 7:38-50 (ESV)

I was in a queue at a set of traffic lights in town. We were stationary, so I looked expectantly towards the red lights in front of me, when a movement in the car in front of me caught my eye. It turned out to be a woman who had leant across to get up close and personal with her passenger: intimate. I thought; it must be love. You get exhibitions of young parting lovers making public declarations of affection. I can remember being like that once.

Anyway, the lights being still on red, and me being inquisitive, I watched this tableau played out before me. Only I realized the person on whom the woman was soÂ intent, was not her partner, no, it was her toddler son!

Presumably he was in a booster seat which raised his head up to adult levels. She was inspecting his face, then cleaning it and fussing him, prior to being dropped off at the nursery around the corner.

Well I was not wrong, I thought, it was love! Then the following words drifted into my consciousness: coming-towards-as-if-to-kiss.

Yes, I had been ambushed by God again. Proskyneo, the N.T. Greek word for worship means just that. Yes, I am no Greek lexicon, I had to look it up to find it again. It is not an amorous encounter, but rather one of trust, love, deference, respect and intimacy; like Mary Magdaleneâ€™s uninhibited entreaty.

As a Creator, God longs to be close with His children, just as this mother was to her son. The question is will we allow Him to get up close and personal? Close enough so He can clean us up, make us presentable, encourage us, and then send us out!

OK, are we ready to being open to Him in reverence today, even up close?

PRAYER: LORD, You are awesome and terrible, holy and majestic, yet You are also jealous of our worship, obedience and love. So we, with bended knee and humble hearts, say Our LORD come! Visit us once more today, in Jesus name, amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/06/06/rm_kissing/
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Tag: <span>worship</span>

Beauty

Kissing?