A Doxology - Thanksgiving Devotional #8

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
Ephesians 1:3 NLT

A doxology is defined as “an expression of praise to God, especially a short hymn sung as part of a Christian worship service.” The most commonly known is "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow", sung to the tune of the Old Hundredth. If you don't know it, you've more than likely heard it at least once in your lifetime.

How many times does it happen when we sing a song that we have sung hundreds of times before, that we sing it without thinking about the words and the meaning behind them? In this season of Thanksgiving, let us blow off the dust and sing from our hearts an expression of true praise in worship.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures here below!
Praise Him above ye heav'nly host!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Praise God who loves us great and small
Praise Him who hears our faintest call
The Sovereign Lamb redeemed the fall
Praise God, the Saviour, Lord of all

From all that dwell below the skies
Let faith and hope with love arise
Let beauty, truth, and good be sung
Through every land by every tongue

Thanksgiving is about doing just that - giving thanks to the One who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and giving Him praise! Hallelujah!

Prayer:

Father,
         Thank You for music. Thank You for Your anointing on it. Thank You for enabling our hearts to respond to You. Birth in us a new desire to know You more. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Come! Let Us Worship and Give Thanks

 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:16-17 NLT

Come! Let us give thanks and worship together! If you click on the link below each song title, it should provide a "go to" link to click on to take you to the song.

Thank You, Jesus, for the Blood - Charity Gayle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhU-Omwg2rU&list=RDMM&start_radio=1&rv=tNk_xCa7zaQ 

Worthy of It All - CeCe Winans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzZSrOPeolc

Goodness of God - CeCe Winans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y81yIo1_3o8&list=RDEMzhASihgNCQlIDoaWO0tgaA&index=9

Firm Foundation (He Won't) - Cody Carnes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9ndiD0_qNk&list=PLmuDBsCaNGBWHb40u1CXfOJVonDMzxq57&index=7

I Speak Jesus - Charity Gayle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcmqSfr1ENY&list=RDMM&index=2

Father God,
                 Thank You for music! Thank You for hearing the songs of our hearts as we worship You. Receive our praise. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Musical Gratitude

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24 KJV

I used to have a plaque that read, "He who sings, prays twice".  As a child, I didn't know how true that was. For when I was a child, this verse was the foundation of one of my favorite hymns, written by J. Edwin Orr, titled Cleanse Me yet more commonly known as Search Me, O God. I didn't know back then that it was taken directly from the Bible, I just knew it touched my heart and became a prayer that I have sung countless times since. 

I am so grateful to God for music. He knew. Ephesians 5:18-20 NLT reads, Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the good times, for the bad times, there's nothing like a song to draw hearts together.

It was Bob Benson who said, "There has to be a song. There are too many dark nights, too many troublesome days, and too many wearisome miles. Somewhere deep in the forgotten corner of one’s heart - there has to be a song. Like a cool, clear drink of water and like the gentle warmth of sunshine, and like the tender love of a child, there has to be a song!"

Yes, I'm so grateful to God for music - for one more intimate, powerful way to come into His presence where there is fullness of joy. 

Prayer:

Father,

           We reiterate the continued prayer of J. Edwin Orr, and thank You for the words You gave him to write. Lord, take my life and make it wholly Thine. Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine. Take all my will, my passion, self, and pride! I now surrender, Lord, in me abide. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Christmas Music

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.

Luke 2:13-14, KJV

Christmas music is everywhere. At this time of year, one can hardly tune in without hearing a Christmas song of some sort, Christian or secular. Bells ringing... although gone are the sleigh bells, now, it's mostly Salvation Army. The serenity conjured up by "Silent Night" has been lost in the insanity of last-minute shopping and Grandma getting “run over by a reindeer.” The hustle and bustle "as the shoppers rush home with their treasures."

Whatever our feeling about Christmas music, when was the last time we TRULY listened to the words of a Christmas carol and actually reflected on their meaning - our spirit moved by the passion and truth in them?

…Let every heart prepare Him room... 

…O lay aside each earthly thing, and with thy heart as offering, come worship… 

 
…The King of kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone Him… 

…Born a child and yet a King. Born to reign in us forever… 

…Then let us all with one accord sing praises to our heavenly Lord, that hath made heaven and earth of naught, and with His Blood mankind hath bought…Noel, noel… 

…Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled…

…O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind: Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, and be Thyself our King of peace…Rejoice! Rejoice!

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men."

Ah, yes! The true sounds of the season…

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for loving us enough to send Your Son to save us from our sin and ourselves. Help us to lay aside each earthly thing and with our hearts as offering, come to worship. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

A Melody

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...
Ephesians 5:18-20 NKJV

When my children were small, I would snuggle them close and sing to them. When they were babies and toddlers, I would rock them and sing them to sleep. And as they got older, when we went anywhere in the car, we would sing. I believe singing while holding my babies taught them that every song can be a love song, and I believe singing together connects people with a language understood only by the heart.

Our text for today is why I believe participatory praise and worship is so important. I've heard people say, "Oh, I don't sing during praise and worship because I just want to hear the praise team or worship leader sing." or "I don't sing during praise and worship because I can't carry a tune and I don't want to distract from anyone else's worship." That's a lie bought and sold from the father of lies to keep us from praising God Almighty.

Let me just say that God doesn't care if you can't carry a tune in a bucket with handles and help! It's not about carrying a tune - it's about making melody in your heart to the Lord. It's about singing Him a new song. it's about O for a thousand tongues to sing praises to my King...There is NO Scripture anywhere in the Bible that says, "Sing a perfect-pitch praise unto the Lord." In Truth, it reads "Make a joyful NOISE..." And it's not always because you feel happy. Some of the greatest hymns and gospel songs were written in the darkest of times.

We're always talking about planting seeds, sowing and reaping. How about cultivating the music of your life? Is there a song in your heart? Do you remember your heart's song? If you will sing it to someone else, they can sing it back to you when you haven't the wherewithal to sing it yourself. Just start humming...Make a melody in your heart.

Prayer:

Father,
Thank You for music! Thank You for ways to express ourselves that we couldn't even begin to do any other way. Hear our songs, Father! Let them be a sweet smelling savor to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen