get ready for Sunday

One of my favorite tools or books recently is “Praying the Psalms” by Daniel Henderson, and this week one day my wife and I read and prayed through Psalm 122. It was a great reminder, and that is why I share with you today.

This is another challenge. Like the Proverbs Challenge I shared earlier this week, here is a challenge to get ready for Sunday worship before you go to church on Sunday.

This is so good. Keep reading…

Too often as Christians, we attend Sunday worship hoping that whatever hap-

pens there will put us in a better frame of mind than we woke up with.

However, the opening declaration of Psalm 122 challenges us to arrive at the gathering of our local assembly already prepared to give our best to the Lord.

Of course, no church is perfect, and often our circumstances can be very

difficult. But when we start by remembering that our chief purpose for meeting

together is to worship the Lord rather than getting an emotional fix or having

all of our problems solved – and when that attitude begins to permeate a whole

church family – then corporate worship becomes something special, as the psalmist reflects.

We become more unified (v.3).

We become more obedient (vv.3–4).

We become more confident in God’s sovereign rule (v.5).

We become more faithful to the Great Commandment of loving God

and others with our whole being (vv.8–9).

So, as next Sunday approaches, choose to adopt David’s attitude in advance

and see how the Lord might use that choice to bless you and those with whom

you worship!

Psalm 122 NLT

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” 2 And now here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is a well-built city; its seamless walls cannot be breached. 4 All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people— make their pilgrimage here. They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord, as the law requires of Israel. 5 Here stand the thrones where judgment is given, the thrones of the dynasty of David. 6 Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. 7 O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces. 8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “May you have peace.” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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