OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART

SCRIPTURE

Psalm 95 (NRSV)

We are the sheep of God's hand

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.

O that today you would listen to his voice!
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they do not regard my ways."
Therefore in my anger I swore,
"They shall not enter my rest."

DEVOTION

Today’s scripture makes me feel like dancing! Don’t you hear the clarion call to worship and praise our Great God?

Too often, we get caught up in all the doom-and-gloom-and-drama-and-trauma of our lives and our existence. We worry, fuss, and cuss all day long working and striving to eke out the means of our survival on this Earth.

We act like our daily bread is everything; that there is no greater reality beyond food, water, clothes, shelter, health care, and perhaps education.

We forget that we are not only physical and mental, but also spiritual. We are spirit beings, connected to The Spirit Being, The Great I Am, The Alpha and Omega--our All Sufficiency.

Today’s passage calls us to remember and to feed our spirit selves. It is a call to worship and to praise. It is an invitation--and an exhortation--to remember that we are more than we know and that we are a part of something so much greater than ourselves.

Scripture teaches us that we are created in the image of God and that God loves us and finds us so valuable that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and to gift us with eternal life and relationship with—and in—our God.

Our souls long to find a place of worship and a posture of prayer. Our spirits desire to slow down, to go to the deep places, to just let go of all of our worries, fears, and doubts, and to tap into the peace that is our inheritance, as a gift from Spirit.

If you’ve ever had the privilege of truly entering into a place of worship, you know exactly what I mean.

Worry falls away. Fear falls away. Anxiety falls away. It leaks out of your spirit--and your soul-- and Spirit fills you up completely with love, joy, and peace. Darkness gives way to light. Fear gives way to hope. Impossible situations give way to incredible break-throughs.

This is the way God wants—and expects--us to live! God wants us to live into our destiny as Kingdom-Come people. God wants us to believe--and affirm--that with God all things are possible. God wants us to come to the deep realization that we are living beneath our privilege-- and power--as Children of God.

That is why today’s scripture says, “Do not harden your hearts…”

It is in our hearts that Truth is most fully revealed! As we worship God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, we will tap into the Power Source. God will give us dreams and visions bigger than our wildest thoughts or imaginations. God will equip and empower us to do great and mighty things. God will use our gifts and talents to share GOOD NEWS/LOVE with everyone we meet!

All that is necessary, my friends, is that we allow God to open the eyes of our hearts! Let us desire to see things as they truly are. What we see now, is not all that there is. Who you imagine yourself to be, is not all you truly are. How we think we “know” God, does not begin to describe who God truly is.

Admit it! You have always known that you are more than you are at this moment. You have a greater destiny, purpose, and power. Up until now, you have been afraid to live into it!

Today is a new day, dear one! Take the plunge! Invite Spirit into your heart through your worship and praise! God has promised to inhabit the praises of God’s people.

Invite God to “live” in your praise, in your worship, and in your life. As you carry the sacred flame of God in your heart, you will be—and do more—than you ever imagined!

Close your eyes, get still in body, mind, and spirit, and invite the mystery of God, and the love of God, to fill you up to overflow…Your deep desire to worship God, will please God, and God will transform your life!

Will you enter into a place of deep worship, praise, and mystery today so that you might more fully realize your God given destiny?

Dear God, you are full of so much mystery. You are unknowable and unsearchable, yet in Jesus, we are able to “see” you. Help me to enter into a place of worship and praise that will allow you to open the eyes of my heart that I might be more fully what you would have me to be on this Earth. I know that you are able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than I could ask, hope, or imagine. I surrender to you now in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to the people who have recently put all of their faith in Jesus! We are so excited about your new-found faith in Jesus! You are in our thoughts and prayers!

If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html

If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda

Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews

You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.

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From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com