CHRISTMAS: A TIME FOR WORSHIP (Pt 2)

DID YOU KNOW GOD SINGS YOUR NAME?

“The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

God sings my name. Yet we who follow Christ can block out God’s song over us because we know we don’t deserve it. We know our weaknesses and sin. We get lost in life’s distractions and keep our distance from God because we believe He is not happy with us and we are ashamed. When we feel shame we don’t worship. Yet our heavenly Father has placed us in Christ, His beloved Son.

“…This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

Jesus is our representative before God. God looks at you just like He looks at His son, Jesus. You are a delight to God.

WORSHIP IS ACKNOWLEDGING THAT YOU ARE A PERSON AND WE ARE A PEOPLE OF DESTINY.

“For behold from this time on all generations will count me blessed.”

(Luke 1:48b)

God wants you to know He intends to do something in us that will affect generations. We can’t see it because we live in the past. Our past failures, words spoken to us, or our sense of insignificance tell us who we are. We are driven in our careers because of our insecurities. We have a performance-orientation because of past influences. Yet God wants us to know we are favored by Him. “He came to Mary and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28)

We are called to live out of God’s promise and not out of our past. God is with us, we are highly favored…God is growing a destiny in us. God is birthing greatness in us. It’s not me, but what God is doing in me. Live out of the promise of God in your life. We have a destiny in God. Mary boldly proclaimed her future. We need to know God chose us as surely as He did Mary. He truly has a plan for you. God plans to do something amazing through your life. God will use us to change someone else’s world.

In worship, let’s listen for God’s voice singing over us. Let’s live in who God says we are in Christ. Let’s lay hold of and proclaim God’s promise of the future.