So I am at a camp called Windermere with my friends Kelsey, Emily, and Chelsea to lead worship for a children's camp for a few days.
Tonight was a very unique night for me. I don't really know how to explain it, but I will try the best I can.
Tonight as we led worship I was very distracted and worried about playing the right chords and trying not to mess up. Because of all of that worrying, I kinda messed up all over the place. Other people might not have noticed, but I did and because of that, my worship to God didn't really feel genuine or real. It felt like I was there to entertain the kids and keep their attention.
The passage that was read tonight during the session was Matthew 6:25-34 which says,
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
When the camp pastor talked about this passage it broke me because I worry so much about certain things that I don't really need to worry about. I worry about how my future is going to turn out, when I will marry, the unknown future, whether or not music is what God wants for me in the future...the list goes on and on.
After the session was over, recreation was taking place, but I stayed in the conference room and just sat there and played my guitar and sang my heart out to God. As I was singing I felt my heart breaking more and more, and I started to sing my lifesong "None But Jesus" and I couldn't even finish that song because I cried. The line that I stopped on "In the chaos, in confusion I know You're Sovereign still".
If I know that He is still Sovereign, then why in the world do I worry about things so much?? God values me more than a bird! We all should rest in the fact that God values us so much and that He doesn't leave us. No one and no thing can pluck us out of His hand. God knows what will happen tomorrow and He has it all taken care of.
So....NO WORRIES!!!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
A Promise For All Time!
This past Sunday I had the privilege of attending First Baptist Church of Mehlville,MO to sing special music with my friend Chelsea and I also sang in their choir. It was a fun experience and what was really amazing about that day was what the pastor was talking about.
He was talking about the compromising church (Rev.2:12-17). The message was centered around how the church at Pergamos had several things wrong in their church. Their pagan ways did not please God at all and they either needed to repent or God was going to "come upon them quickly and fight against them with the sword of His mouth (the two-edged sword)." - verse 16.
One particular verse that really got me wondering was verse 17 which says "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except for him who receives it."
What a word?!?!
The manna, the white stone, and the new name are all prospective rewards for faithfulness to God. The manna recalls the food from Heaven that sustained Israel in their wandering in the wilderness. This hidden manna also resembles a special intimacy with Jesus Christ. Those who overcome are promised supernatural sustenance in the resurrected state to enable them to function effectively as co-rulers in Christ's Kingdom.
The white stone signifies acquittal from legal charges, meaning pardon, grace, mercy, a second chance, etc. This was what the white stone signified in John's day.
The new name is the symbol of victory over the enemies of God. This new name that His children will have identifies the obedient believer in the terms of his/her character.
The new name that God will give us will symbolize that special relationship we have with Him. Only He can call us that name; no one else.
Isn't that mind-blowing?? God is gonna have a new name for me....and I can't help but wonder what it would be. That's not the only thing that I wonder about though. The biggest mind-blowing thing about this is that all of His obedient children will receive a new name and not ONE will be the same!! That's a lot of different names!! WOW!
The promise of eternal spiritual sustenance, pardon from God's wrath upon earth, and a new unique name is something that I definitely look forward to!
Anyway, that's all that is on my mind and heart right now :)
I hope you enjoyed my thought of the day!
Have a blessed summer,
-Liz Hitt
He was talking about the compromising church (Rev.2:12-17). The message was centered around how the church at Pergamos had several things wrong in their church. Their pagan ways did not please God at all and they either needed to repent or God was going to "come upon them quickly and fight against them with the sword of His mouth (the two-edged sword)." - verse 16.
One particular verse that really got me wondering was verse 17 which says "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except for him who receives it."
What a word?!?!
The manna, the white stone, and the new name are all prospective rewards for faithfulness to God. The manna recalls the food from Heaven that sustained Israel in their wandering in the wilderness. This hidden manna also resembles a special intimacy with Jesus Christ. Those who overcome are promised supernatural sustenance in the resurrected state to enable them to function effectively as co-rulers in Christ's Kingdom.
The white stone signifies acquittal from legal charges, meaning pardon, grace, mercy, a second chance, etc. This was what the white stone signified in John's day.
The new name is the symbol of victory over the enemies of God. This new name that His children will have identifies the obedient believer in the terms of his/her character.
The new name that God will give us will symbolize that special relationship we have with Him. Only He can call us that name; no one else.
Isn't that mind-blowing?? God is gonna have a new name for me....and I can't help but wonder what it would be. That's not the only thing that I wonder about though. The biggest mind-blowing thing about this is that all of His obedient children will receive a new name and not ONE will be the same!! That's a lot of different names!! WOW!
The promise of eternal spiritual sustenance, pardon from God's wrath upon earth, and a new unique name is something that I definitely look forward to!
Anyway, that's all that is on my mind and heart right now :)
I hope you enjoyed my thought of the day!
Have a blessed summer,
-Liz Hitt
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