I have always loved Lamentations 3:22-23 which tells us the Lord's mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness. The Amplified Bible puts it thus: "It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving kindness that we are not consumed, because His tender compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness." In verse 24 it goes on to say: "The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him."
If we as individuals would simply focus on God's faithfulness everyday, imagine what it would do to the body of Christ when we gather to worship. If we did that, when unbelievers entered the walls of our church to worship they would experience the "Christ in us" of our worship. Donald Hustad once said: "Believers in heartfelt worship can present a three-dimensional worship model that entertainment cannot: humans restored to their original purpose--glorifying and honoring God. Through the window of authentic worship, unbelievers can actually see believers responding to God's redemptive gift in Jesus Christ. They are moved by observing Christians in relationship to God and to each other. Most importantly, they experience God's presence because He 'inhabits the praises of His people.'" (Ps. 22:3) Focusing on God's faithfulness as individuals definitely feeds the worship of the gathered body in a way that impacts both each other and unbelievers in our midst. mjm
A Melody from Michael J. . . . a Personal and Worship Blog
