Worship - commonly signifies our gatherings - our Sunday places - our Sunday doings. 
 
We are going to the Worship Service.
                              
                              This is the Worship Center of our                               church.  

                              I just love the Worship portion of                               our services.

Worship - A common noun?  A common adjective? A common verb?
 
Do I use the word Worship in a common fashion when I am really referring to an uncommon concept that encompasses the very essence of who I am?

So - I look it up - my trusty Webster says:  a feeling of adoring reverence or regard.

My prayer for this day - 

Dear Jesus, help me adore You with greatest reverence and most uncommon regard.  My worship is reserved for You and You alone.  Help me focus on understanding the GREATNESS of your power, the GOODNESS of your nature, and the WONDER that you hold in your Eternal Being.  Help me live my life as a constant act of worship to You.  


I will not consciously place any other on the throne of my life.  Help me be mindful that only You, O Lord, are worthy of true adoration and praise.  


Help me worship You in a way that is pleasing and honest.  I tend to be a "pleaser".  I wish to please You FIRST and foremost each day in my thoughts, words, and actions. Please help me do this through your strength, power, and wisdom.  


Amen.   
  








                           
  


  

     As Abraham and Isaac made the trip to the land of Moriah, I can imagine the devastation that Abraham must have felt as he knew what Yahweh was asking him to do.  He had failed God in the past.  But Abraham had grown in faith over the years.  He knew that he must obey Him, even in the face of great anguish.  

     But on the THIRD day, Yahweh provided a LAMB caught in the THORNY bushes for the SACRIFICE on a mountain in the land of Moriah, which some scholars believe to be the same location now known as       CALVARY !


     What trust Abraham placed in Yahweh in the face of a great trial!

     When I am caught in the thorny day-to-day events that seem to tangle my life, pierce my soul, and destroy my peace, please let me remember that by placing my trust in You, dear Yahweh, You will meet every need.          
     You will PROVIDE what I need in every circumstance, if I trust You to do just that!  
     
     No matter what I face this day.  I will rely on You to go before me and make a path for me to follow.  I am confident that You, dear Yahweh, will provide.  


     Thank you for Your provision in the past.  


     Take care of this day and lead me in Your wisdom, giving me thoughts, words, and actions that are pleasing to You.  


     Forgive me for my haughty spirit and pride.  I am humbled and know that all good things come from You.  
Amen.   



     

     
     

     After I read my piece from yesterday, I thought.....
Well, what a way to begin my blog journey!!!  Begin with nakedness......  How strange.......   But I just could not leave that part out, since I was bent on telling ya'll about what I call the "Red Thread".  I will have to continue that later.

     Well, on a lighter note I have a picture of my sweet kindergarten teachers with their "red threads" as "Things" for Dr. Seuss day at TPS.  They are so precious.  I just can't tell you how much I love these teachers and all the teachers at my school.  They are the most AWESOME people/teachers you can ever imagine.  Sometimes teaching can drive you wacko... What do you think?  

Awesome crew!  We stayed at school until after six for Dr. Seuss night, creating a fun time for our kids at TPS.  

Exhausted right now - but a lot of kids are happy.....    

Please excuse the lateness of this post.  I just got it to work.....  

Did you know about the scarlet thread that is woven throughout the Bible from Genesis to Jesus?  

In the past few years I have been introduced to the amazing concept of the scarlet thread which refers to the atoning blood of Jesus as the theme of His precious Word from beginning to end.   I am mindful of this scarlet thread (especially as Easter approaches) and want to ponder this concept of the "Red Thread".  

(Thanks to my sweet, smart, amazing hubby for the SS lesson this past Sunday which made my thoughts flow in this direction.)

In the Beginning:     
Genesis 2::25 - "And the woman and man were both naked, and they felt no shame."  

They were not ashamed because they were covered in God's GLORY and RADIANCE!  There was NO shame because they were as HE made THEM.  

HOWEVER, He did not create robots, because in the absence of CHOICE there is no true devotion and LOVE.  Those we love have a choice to love us back, devote themselves to us, and have a relationship with us.  If we don't have a choice, it devalues the relationship.  God, our creator wants us to CHOOSE Him, so the relationship will be one of FREE WILL.  (Thank you, C. S. Lewis.)

Genesis 3 
So woman was tempted to DOUBT God.
She was tempted to be LIKE God.
And using her free will she sought to BE her own God.
  

We are tempted to become our own Gods.
And that is at the core of all sin and has been since the beginning of time.  (Thank you, Bro. John Brock)


As long as they HAD no sin - they KNEW no sin.  
As soon as sin became part of their lives they knew shame.  

And then they hid from God.  (Did they think He could not FIND them?)  (Thank you, J. Austin)

Our first instinct is to hide our sins - from others, from God and even from ourselves.

Then God found them and the questions began.
Who told you.........?
Did you eat...........?

Then the blame began.
But he told me..........
But she gave me........
It's really not my fault............

Then the consequences of sin took effect. (They always do.)
You will crawl........
You will suffer...........
You will have pain........
You will strive...........
You will sweat.........

BUT THEN HE COVERED THE SHAME OF THEIR NAKEDNESS BY SHEDDING THE BLOOD OF THE FIRST SACRIFICE TO REPLACE THE SHODDY COVERING THEY USED TO TRY TO COVER THEIR SHAME.    

Attempting to cover our own sins is always makeshift - at best - like a fig leaf.   It may work for a time, but until we let Him cover our sin, it is always a temporary solution.......  

He provides a permanent covering for our shame even today.  

This first "Red Thread" in His message.  

But since the beginning of time doing right or wrong is an act of our free will. 

Loving Him is an act of our free will.  

And allowing Him to cover our shame is an act of our free will. 

Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts with you this Wednesday morning.  

I pray that you will be clothed in His radiance today and every day.

I pray that today you will live in perfect peace and thankfulness with hope for your amazing future, planned by Him.  

Have a Blessed day!

Margaret