Intelligent Worship Series -- Intro

 Intelligent Worship brings us into the presence of God. There are 12 parts to this series, plus this introduction. 

What do we see when we enter the presence of God? John, in the Spirit, saw an emerald rainbow around the throne of God. Emeralds come in just about every color known, so while many envision a green bow around the throne, I see so much more. 

 

--John heard a voice like a trumpet speak to him. 

Revelation 4:1

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 

--John saw a throne and someone sitting on it.

Revelation 4:2

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

--John saw the radiance and could only describe what he saw in colors he knew.

Revelation 4:3

And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 

Ezekiel saw so much when he entered the eternal presence of God that I can only list a couple of them here.

--Ezekiel was always in the presence of God, for the Word came to him. 

Ezekiel 1:3

The Word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

--Ezekiel saw a sapphire throne.

Ezekiel 10:1

Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

--Isaiah saw the Lord on His throne.

Isaiah 6:1

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 

Isaiah saw and heard the worshiping seraphim and instantly repented.

Isaiah 6:2-6

--Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord.

Isaiah 6:8

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

--Daniel saw the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man together.

Daniel 7:9-14

Many are the wondrous things to see in the presence of God, not the least of which is the Lord God Himself! Intelligent worship brings us into the presence of God, but it won't keep us there. For there is much work to be done before our day arrives to be there permanently with Him. 

Until then we will read and re-read all the gloriousness of being in God's presence. 

Adam had it, then he lost it. That can happen to us, too, if we're not careful. Let us watch and pray, therefore, that our testimony may be perfect when we see God. 

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~8. Hands of Worship

Psalm 63:4
Thus will I bless Thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in Thy name.

    While the word "hands" appears in the KJV Bible 438 times, only 13 of those refer to worshiping God. Of those 13 times, one verse has floods worshiping (Psalm 98:8), one verse has 'the deep' worshiping (Habakkuk 3:10) and one verse has trees worshiping (Isaiah 55:12). The other ten verses which reference worship to God using the hands are either personal (I, my) or other (they, your, men, all people).
     The word "hand" appears in the KJV Bible 1,296 times: 1,144x in the OT and 152x in the NT.
None of the times in which the word "hand" appears in the NT use it in reference to worship of God. When the word "hand" is used in the NT, it describes an action or location. For example, "at hand" means close by or near to; as in, "The kingdom of God is 'at hand'. This phrase, 'the kingdom of God is at hand' is used in the NT   x. The kingdom of God is a method: it is salvation through Jesus Christ and it is preaching the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. We must repent and believe (Mark 1:15); repent of our sins and sinful ways and believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the only begotten Son of God.

    While the use of the word "hands" is personalized, the word "hand" is descriptive. So, let's think about that for a minute or two. Look at your hands. First the back. And then the front. What did you see? The back of my hands are worn. In the light I can see the creases and wrinkles on my fingers. When I flex my fingers, the joints hurt and some of them crack. The middle finger on my right hand is more inflamed than the others; I broke it many years ago and it never healed quite right; it also tilts. My knuckles are swollen. 

     I turn my hands over and am thankful that my wrists still work even through the pain, which at this moment extends from the left pinky down the hand and up the arm to my shoulder. It is not age and decay that creeps through my body: I suffer with severe Fibromyalgia, which is an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system. My body has also succumbed to osteoarthritis. Yippee-ki-yay. 

     But my heart and my soul and my spirit are stronger than ever. With my hands I will praise Him.  My fingers are only at rest when my eyes are closed in sleep, I hope. So the fingers on my hands are in constant motion: typing, writing in my journals/notebooks, washing and drying dishes,  turning pages in my Bible and other books, folding laundry, fastening buttons, closing zippers, changing from one outfit to another, bathing, washing my hair, getting a drink, eating meals, flexing and stretching. Of course with that last, flexing and stretching, I get to hear them crack, too.

     With my hands I will worship God. My heart is filled with the Love of God and overflows into the rest of my body. Perhaps it is this that causes my body to vibrate at all hours of the day and night. We do know that the spiritual affects the physical and the mental. As rain not only washes away, but also regenerates, I am being cleansed and renewed by the Holy Spirit of God on every level of my life. Even my body is aware of the transforming power of God, not just my spirit and my mind.

     When I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, my sins were forgiven and my soul became His. Instantly, I belonged to God and Jesus forever. Through that act of faith, my soul received salvation. However, my body and my must needs also be completely surrendered to Him. Jesus gave all of Himself for me. Therefore, the only logical thing is to give all of myself for Him. With God it is all or nothing. The Book of Revelation says that He will spew the lukewarm out of His mouth. In other words, a partial reconciliation is no reconciliation; a half-hearted relationship makes Him vomit. I do not want to be vomit.

     With my hands I will praise Him. But my heart must be in it, too. It is not enough to just be able to sing along with everyone. God is not impressed that you know all the words to your favorite songs. God is not satisfied with you knowing all the books of the Bible in order. Nor is He content with our ability to memorize Scripture; then forget it. The Word of God needs to be read, heard, obeyed and applied to our daily lives. Saturday and Sunday are not the only days of worship that are to be observed. Living for Jesus must be done everyday. We can't be Christians one day of the week and sinners the other six days. That is being lukewarm and half-hearted. That is vomit.

    I will lift up my hands in Thy Name. When the enemy is at our backs, and says, "Stick'em up!", lifting our hands is an act of surrender. But we are not surrendering to the enemy, we are surrendering to God. With our hands we raise His standard, Jehovah-Nissi, meaning: God, my banner. The standard is lifted up at the forefront of the troops, who are prepared to go into battle. We are the footsoldiers of God.

And with our hands we will praise Him.

    

    

     

     

   
   

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~7.Feet of Worship

Habakkuk 3:19
The LORD GOD is my Strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
     I have no strength of mine own; therefore I need the LORD my GOD to be my Strength. It is His Strength that makes my feet like hinds' feet, sturdy and able. It is He who makes it possible for me to walk on mountains. On mountainsides, which are steep, cracked and rocky. On mountaintops, which sometimes peak and sometimes plateau. It is His Strength that keeps me going to reach my destination.

   

Psalm 27:5
For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock.
     Mountainsides have caves, waterfalls and secret places. Mountaintops have snow-covered caps and sun-warmed mesas. With my hinds' feet I leap across crevices, for faith is my bridge. I dance on mountaintops in the presence of my LORD, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made by He Who is my Strength. 

Psalm 18:29, 31-33, 36
For by Thee I have run through a troop; and by my GOD have I leaped over a wall.
For Who is GOD save the LORD? or who is a rock save our GOD? It is GOD that girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.
You have enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
     Running and leaping and praising GOD. We know that running and leaping require feet. Now we learn that our feet are used to praise GOD. We run through a troop because "no weapon formed against us shall prosper". We leap over walls; walls are built to prevent access to. Regardless of the height of the wall, it is fear that built it. Fear is our enemy and by our faith in the GOD Who is our Strength, we have overcome fear.
     GOD is our Strength and He girds us: binds us, wraps Himself around us like a belt or sash, with His Strength. He makes my way perfect because He is perfect. He makes my feet strong and sturdy. It is His Strength that carries me to my destination, my high places. My mountaintops.
 

Psalm 18: 46 
The LORD lives; and blessed be my Rock; and let the GOD of my salvation be exalted.
     I will dance like David danced: with exceeding great joy to be in the presence of GOD. My feet dance on my mountaintops, the high places which GOD has prepared for me. The LORD GOD lives. He is my Rock and my Salvation. I will praise Him with my feet.

I Samuel 2:9
He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. (part of Hannah's prayer)
Proverbs 4:26, 27
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
     And because my feet are instruments of praise, I must take great care to protect my feet. I must choose my steps carefully and direct them away from places of temptation, places that would cause my feet to stumble and fall. I must walk gently and not in anger and judgment. But walk in compassion and love.

Hebrews 12:11-14
Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight the paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the LORD.
     To be chastened is to be pruned. GOD prunes, or removes, the unfruitful things in my life. And I praise Him for it. Though discipline is painful at the time it is rendered, the result brings a change of heart and a peace of mind that was not present beforehand. Chaos and confusion leave; righteousness and a sound mind remain.
      I raise my hands and bow my knees, knees which once were feeble and unable to bend or stand straight. I choose my steps wisely, watching out for curves and sharp turns. Anticipating with joy every step I take, knowing that my journey brings me closer to my GOD. Watching out for potholes, pits (Psalm 119:85), that would take me down. Sinkholes that grab at my feet (Psalm 119:110)and would drag me under.  My feet are to follow peace and holiness; for my desire is GOD's heart: that all men would be saved.

Ephesians 6:15
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that says unto Zion, Thy GOD reigns!
     My feet are prepared now. Prepared to publish, or proclaim, peace. The Prince of Peace is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of GOD. He is the Good Tidings of Good. He is Salvation to all men. With my feet fully shod, protected and prepared to stand and withstand, I walk upon my high places. With my feet I will praise Him. For my feet are beautiful; beautiful because I preach and proclaim the Good News: Jesus died for you, Jesus conquered death and walked out of the grave for you, Jesus ascended into heaven and will return for you. Ready or not, Jesus is coming.

The LORD my GOD directs my paths, 

the paths that my feet take,

the paths wherein I choose to walk.

PSALM 119

Psalm 119:1 

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.

Psalm 119:3

They also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways.

Psalm 119:32 

I will run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou shalt enlarge my heart.

Psalm 119:45

And I will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts.

Psalm 119:35

Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments; for therein do I delight.

Psalm 119:59

I thought on my ways, and turned my heart unto Thy Testimonies.

Psalm 119:101

I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Thy Word.

Psalm 119:105

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path.

Psalm 119:133 

Order my steps in Thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~6.Heart of Worship

Matthew 15:7, 8 7. You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8. "This people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me."
Matthew 15:18-20 18. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20. These are the things that defile a man: but to eat with dirty hands defiles not a man.
Galatians 5:14, 15 
14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 15. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.
Psalm 51:8-10 & 14-17  
8.Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which You have broken may rejoice. 9. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10. Create in me a clean heart, O GOD; and renew a right spirit within me. ... 14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O GOD, Thou GOD of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness. 15. O LORD, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise. 16. For Thou desires not sacrifice; You delight not in burnt offerings. 17. The sacrifices of GOD are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O GOD Thou will not despise.
Psalm 57:7 My heart is fixed, O GOD, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

     Naked I was born, and naked I will return, but in-between those journeys is life. We all have one. Some are long and some are short. We are all accountable to God for how we live the life we have been given. We are accountable for the words that come out of our mouth. We are accountable for the places our feet take us; for the things we do with our hands; for the images we allow our eyes to see. We are accountable to God for what lives in our hearts. 
     We need to stop making mountains out of molehills and start making molehills out of mountains.Unforgiveness, holding a grudge, carrying vengeance cause our hearts to harden. Each negative emotion in our hearts is one more stone we use to build our mountain.
     But when we forgive every unkind act, ever mean action, every wicked way done to us and against us, our mountains begin to fall. Every act of forgiveness is an act of love. When love begins to grow in our hearts, all of our emotions surface at once. And the rocks come tumbling down, causing the avalanche effect in our heart; stones fall, hearts break. The salty waterfall pours out and flows down our cheeks, washing the shame from our cheeks and the guile from our lips. 
     We all know, however, that forgiveness isn't easy. It isn't easy to say, "I'm sorry" and mean it. It is not easy to say, "I forgive you" and mean it, either. Nor do the words, "Please forgive me" come out of our mouths easily. We need humble hearts to accomplish true forgiveness. Choosing to forgive instead of choosing to aggravate and retaliate is costly. But choosing not to forgive will cost us even more.
     When Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, some of those sins were mine. And He chose to forgive me, instead of condemn me. Both Christ's life and His death are our examples to live by now. As He lived then, we strive against Satan now, to live here. Jesus forgave everyone then and forgives everyone now. Jesus saw the need. We need Jesus in us to be able to do the things through us that He did when He was here.
     We need the Holy Spirit. It is He Who draws us to Jesus by the Word of God. It is the Holy Spirit Who reveals God to us and plants Jesus in us. Because somebody was praying for us. The first Somebody Who prayed for us: Jesus. For when He prayed in the garden before His death, He prayed for us, as related to us in the Book of John, chapter 17.

     
     We need to repent of our sins. We need to tell God what we have done and that we don't want to live our wicked lives any longer. No more unkind acts or mean words. No more seeking each other's downfall. No more glorying in another's sins being revealed. No more do we want to build mountains out of molehills: we want to forgive and love like Jesus. 
     No more do we want lies on our tongue, hate in our heart nor spite crossing our lips. No more do we want to deliberately hurt someone. No more do we want to set up our idols; we want to worship God and God alone. No more do we want to just go to church: Lord, teach us to BE Your church. No more tearing each other down, but, Lord, help us to build each other up.
     We want to be high on Jesus and drunk in the Holy Spirit. So, Lord, remove the desire to live a wicked and evil life from our heart. Help us, Holy Spirit. Replace the evilness in our heart with the desires to bless God; to live a righteous and holy life. 
     Thank You, God, for forgiving a wretch like me. Thank You for saving my soul from eternal damnation and drawing me close to You. Thank You, Lord, for sending the Holy Spirit to us.
     Holy Spirit, daily baptize me that I might walk in power in Jesus' Name. Power to overcome temptation and turn away from sin. Power to forgive all peoples. Power to love like Jesus loves. Power to teach the Gospel; to explain and clarify the Word of God, that it might be understood more clearly. Power too preach the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ; to proclaim the Good News: Jesus died for you and I because of His great love for us. And that He has fought the devil and won. That He has conquered death and walked out of the grave.
     Thank You, God, for breaking my heart and turning my mountains into molehills. To God be the glory! And none other. Amen.






    

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~5.Eyes of Faith

Eyes of Faith

1 Corinthians 13:12
"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."


     Right now we see Jesus with our hearts: through the eyes of faith. As I am able to see you face to face now and hear your voice in my ears, someday I will see Jesus face to face and hear His voice in my ears. Until then, I will view Him with the eyes of my heart, my spiritual heart. For to worship Christ I must worship Him in spirit and in truth, as the Bible tells me so: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24
     The eye of the body is connected to the brain. The eye of faith is connected to the heart. The information bouncing back and forth between the eye and the brain at even speeds I cannot wrap my mind around is manifold. But this much information would not be possible without light first entering the eye. If the eye is impaired, the brain cannot comprehend the light, and so remains in darkness.
     These statements remain true even when speaking of the eye of faith which is connected to the heart. The dark cannot comprehend the light because the eye of faith is impaired. How does the eye of faith heal that the light may shine in the dark and send the darkness fleeing?
     First, we have to know what Faith is. Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is substance, it is matter. Faith is the foundation upon which hope is built. Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Faith is necessary to pleasing God. Those who think they are making God happy but lack the faith required to do so are sorely mistaken. They stumble in the dark and cause others to wobble and fall.

     And the second thing we need is Belief, as stated in the second part of Hebrews 11:6. We Must Believe in God: His existence, His Word, His Son. John 3:16-19 "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."  

    We must Believe that God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place. For only God can defeat the devil and win. My part in the battle of salvation through Jesus Christ is to stand and fight. Fight for the souls of my family and friends. My part is to have enough faith to believe that God will move mountains on their behalf. First I must believe, then I must pray for my family and my friends to believe. I must pray not only for their salvation, but for their growth: growth in their relationship with Christ, growth in their walk with God, growth in their hunger and thirst for more of the Word of God to take root in them and prosper their souls.
     Diligence. Perseverance. Endurance. From beginning to end. Start to finish. Basic Math:

Faith is the substance of things hoped for

                          +

he that comes to God must Believe that He is

                          +

He rewards them that Diligently seek Him

        Evidence of things not seen

     Diligently seek Him means to keep on praying while reading His Word. Keep on studying. While reading the Bible all the way through is commendable and shows an ability to persevere, it is not enough to just read the surface of the Word. God encourages us to dig deeper. Not in regards to digging holes out of which we cannot climb, but digging up buried treasure and sharing it with everyone we know. When a garden is being built, a person must first prepare the ground. You cannot just fling seed hither and yon and hope it grows. 

A proper garden must first have the soil tilled. Tilling is cultivating the ground, digging up the surface and bringing to the surface the fertile soil beneath. While the verbs used to further describe the word TILL are Dig, Cultivate and farm, even these can have clearer meaning to help us understand: prepare, pierce, subdue; to name a few. 

     God prepares our hearts to receive His Son. Men and women preach the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. We walk the walk and talk the talk.The life we live is not ours. We have surrendered our lives to God and to His service. Our words should be words of love and life, not words of hate and death.

     Walking in darkness is dangerous. There are people who prefer to walk in the dark (John 1:5 & 3:19) and there are people who wish only for the light to shine. But at this time, while we are on this earth and until Jesus returns, the light shines in the darkness. The love of God tenders our hearts with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The light of Christ pierces the dark hearts of men and reveals the evil, the darkness within. The love of God is planted as a seed in our waiting hearts. The light of Christ shines on the seed of faith and causes it to grow and blossom within us.
     Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is our faith in the transforming power of God which allows us to receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is our faith in God's Word that brings us to our knees and causes our hearts to break from the weight of our guilt and shame. It is our faith in the promises of God that turn our hearts to a repentant state, bringing the fertile soil to the surface while sending the superficial surface underground.
     The eyes of faith are healed; the blind heart can see.  John 3:21 "But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

     

Little Pieces of Clay-Making a Christian-4.Surrendering the Body

Surrendering the Body

Romans 12:1 "I beseech (beg) you therefore, brethren (brothers and sisters in Christ) to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (logical) service."
Continue reading through the end of the chapter.
Exodus 20:1-17 Relates to us the commandments which God gave Moses. While many see this as a list of Do's and Don'ts, even in the church sector, this is the law of love which is fulfilled in Christ. We are the body of Christ and this law of love should be evident in us.
Colossians 3:1-25 Instructing the Christian how to surrender their body to a life of love.

    The Old Testament is the old covenant. Animal sacrifices are no longer needed to atone for one's sins. Cutting yourself is not necessary to release your internal pain. Chopping off a person's hands for stealing; cutting off a person's foot for trespassing and removing a person's eye for lusting are under the law. The law has been fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Like the purple mantle placed on His shoulders to mock him, the sins of the world were placed on His back through the whipping He got from the soldiers. His body took the punishment for our sins. His blood, which spilled upon the ground, at the foot of the cross, paid the debt for our unrighteousness.
     The New Testament is the new covenant. Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the only begotten Son of God. He surrendered His will to His Father's will in the mount of Olives when He prayed. Matthew 26:26-44 After telling His disciples to pray that they would not give into temptation while He was away from them, He went into the garden and prayed: not one, but twice: V.39 "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will." and V.42 "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, Thy will be done." Mark 14:26 "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what You will."  Luke 22:42 "Saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will but Thine, be done."
   The new covenant is through Jesus Christ. While all other covenants foreshadowed this event, they are now past, for Jesus Christ lived for us, died for us and rose from the grave for us. He became the sacrificial lamb that was required at Passover. He is the firstborn of His Father. His blood is on our hands. It is only when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the only begotten Son of God, that He is the Messiah; then is our salvation through Him applied to the thresh-hold of our homes, of our lives.
     He is our example of surrendering not only our will (our desire, our 'want to'), but our lives. And our life is lived in our body. We only get one. And it is how we choose to live here that determines not only our destination after death, but our reward. Colossians 3:24, 25 "Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ. But he that does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done: and there is no respect of persons." Regardless of your status in life, we all will receive a reward, whether for good or bad choices.
     The key word in Colossians 3:1 is 'IF'. IF you are risen in Christ...." Here Paul is speaking to the Christians in Colossus. But we know that the Word of God goes on forever and so the Word is applicable to us also. Are you risen in Christ? Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? Have you repented of your sins and surrendered your mind, your emotions and your will to Him? If you have made these decisions,  he is speaking to you. And he is speaking to me. And because I know that the Word of God is to be applied to me personally, I can read it like this (and so can you):
Colossians 3
v1. Because I am risen in Christ, I seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.
v2. I set my affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
v3. For I am dead, and my life is hid with Christ in God.
v4. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory.
v5. I submit my body to clean living. I choose not to engage in fornication; not to participate in unclean (corrupt, dishonorable, inhealthful) actions; irrational or unrestrained affections; not to give in to sexual desires or lusts; and not to covet anyone or anything, as such would be idolatry. 
v6. By choosing to live an unclean life, a life of disobedience to God, His wrath would be my reward.
v7. Once I walked that life, and lived in unrighteousness.
v8. But now I also put off of me verbal abuse and ignorance: anger (being or getting: mad, annoyed, furious, exasperated, indignant, violent); malice (meanness, vindictiveness, bitterness, hostility, spite, venom), blasphemy (abuse, cussing, cursing, swearing, profanity); filthy communication (obscenities, offensive, repulsive, impure, sleazy).
v9. We do not lie to each other; for we have put off the old person that we were before we knew Christ;
v10. And have put on the new person we are in Christ, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created us.
v11. We are no longer defined by our ethnicity, our circumcision (baptism, initiation, rite of passage, status changes), our geography (where we live) or class (free or slave); for Christ is all, and in all.
v12. I put on therefore, as the elect of God, Who is holy and beloved, bowels of mercies (in the Bible it is the bowels that contain the emotions of a person, not the heart), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
v13. Forbearing one another (exhibit self-control), and forgiving one another, if I have a quarrel with anyone: even as Christ forgave me, so I forgive you.
v14. And above all these things, I put on charity (advocacy, benevolence, encouragement, guidance), which is the bond of perfectness.
v15. We, you and I, let the peace of God rule in our hearts, for we are called to be one body, and be thankful.
v16. I am to let the Word of Christ live in me richly in all wisdom; teaching (demonstrating, nurturing, training) and admonishing (exhorting, forewarning, reprimanding) each other in psalms (poetry in all its forms which praises God) and hymns (sing the praises of God) and spiritual (devotional) songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord.
v17. And, whatever we do in word or deed (action), we do all of it in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, and the Father by Him.
v18. As the wife, we submit ourselves to our own husband, as it is fit in the Lord.
v19. As the husband, you love your wife, and are not bitter against them;
v20. As the children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
v21. As the father, do not provoke your children to anger, for they will be discouraged (intimidated, confused, depressed, distressed, troubled, scared).
v22. As the servant, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, how we see you behave; but with singleness of heart, fearing God:
v23. And whatsoever I do, I do with all my heart, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
v24. Knowing that of the Lord I shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for I serve the Lord Christ.
v25. But he that does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done: and there is no respect of persons.


     My body is Christ's body. And as such, by His example when He prayed, I surrender my body a living sacrifice. For it is the only logical thing that I can do for Him. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. The "I" in me dies daily, when I disciple my mind and my heart and my emotions to surrender to His will.


See also, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; Romans 13:9-14; 1 Corinthians 13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Corinthians 10:3-7 and 13:11. Philippians 2:1-16 and full circle back again to the Book of Colossians, which is where we started. But don't stop there; the whole New Testament enriches our souls with God's Word on how to live a life that is pleasing to God.


Surrender  Dictionary and Surrender  Thesaurus. 


Song:
I surrender my vessel to You, to You
As an offering, I lay it down, it's Yours;
As You gave to this world,  Your only Son,
I surrender my vessel to You.

I surrender my family to You, to You,
As an offering I lay them down, they're Yours;
As You gave to this world Your only Son,
I surrender my family to You.




     

Little Pieces of Clay-Making a Christian-My Body is Christ's Body

3. My body is Christ's Body - 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

     Just as God created our bodies for a purpose, each part of our bodies have a specific function. I type with my fingers, not my elbows. The heart pumps blood throughout the entire body. The liver acts as a filter, deciding which is useful and which is waste. The pancreas creates insulin and glucagon and the blood cells distribute these throughout the body except for your brain. While we associate our noses with the sense of smell, that is only a small part of its job. The nose's primary purpose is to help us breathe.

     While the ear is associated with the sense of hearing, its other function is to help us maintain our balance and remain upright when in motion. Eyes are the organs of sight; the cornea is the lens through which we see images, while the pupil controls the quantity of light entering the body.

    The body contains more than 640 muscles and each one is controlled by nerves.  Each muscle is made up of millions of tiny protein filaments working together. In order to move at all the muscles need the nervous system to function properly. Acetylcholine is the chemical required to transfer information from one nerve cell to another. 

     And while all of this is quite interesting, it is just another reminder that not only do we not know how our own bodies work, we also have little knowledge of how the body of Christ is supposed to work. What we do know though, is that when we study the different structures and layouts of how the body works individually, we are able to see more clearly how the body works as a whole. 

     The body contains 3.5 liters of blood. The heart weighs 3 pounds. The pancreas weighs about 2.5 pounds. There are 206 bones in a skeletal structure, between 600 to 850 muscles, 100 trillion cells and about 45 miles of nerves run through our bodies. And just by sharing all this with you, I am reminded again just how amazing our God is. Our bodies are not created by accident, but on purpose. And with purpose.

     Just as our bodies, which are God's handiwork, are created to function for specific purposes and work together, so the body of Christ is created through the Holy Spirit of God to function properly. Each of us has a purpose within Christ's body. And we need each other in order to work properly. Some teach, some preach; some sing, some write; some evangelize, some heal; some build churches, some prophesy. All are called to minister in some capacity . None are greater, none are lesser. 

     I sing while I clean toilets. Because my heart is right with God, God is glorified by my services: both in song and in service. One speaks in a tongues (a heavenly language given to a person after being baptized in the Holy Spirit) and one interprets the tongue spoken. Our talk of being the body of Christ is backed up by our walk with Christ. The evidence of our salvation and unity of spirit is visible to all who see us. We are recognized by total strangers as being Christians. Even if we say nothing at all.

     Have you ever been accosted by someone you do not know in a parking lot? I have. A woman walked right up to me and said, "You're a Christian aren't you?". Flabbergaste, I'm like, "Yeah. How did you know?" And she said, "You shine. I could see right away that you were different." 

     I shine. My body is Christ's Body. It is His light which shines through me that all the world may be drawn to Him. It is His love which moves through me, giving me strength to love the unlovable in the same way in which He loves me: unconditionally. 

Little Pieces of Clay-Making a Christian-Creating Me

2. Creating Me - Psalm 139:13-16;  Psalm 119:73; Job 10:8-12

     I am covered with the fingerprints of God. My Bible tells me His hands made me and formed me while I was yet inside my Mother. I have been created for a purpose. Every person on earth has been created by God for a purpose. It is our responsibility to seek God and ask Him to reveal our purpose to us. 

     It may take several years before our purpose is unveiled to the point where we can not only see it, but understand it. Though,  history has shown us that sometimes children are better able to hear God and know what His purpose is for their lives. 

     Joseph knew he had a purpose; he just didn't understand it at such a young age. Even as a slave in Pharoah's kingdom, he knew God had not left him. Though he was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, he knew God was still with him. It is Joseph's faith, love and knowledge for God that kept him close to God and thus kept God close to him. And when it was time, God revealed His purpose for bringing Joseph to Egypt. 

     Samuel had a purpose. Before he was born his Mother prayed for him. She sought God in the temple; her prayers were so intense that the priest saw only her lips moving and accused her of being drunk. But her desire to have a baby was so visible to him, he asked that her prayer be answered. And it was. Samuel stayed with his Mom until he was weaned. I would think that she prepared him for his purpose by talking to him before he was born. 

     As Moms, we all talk to our babies. It's nothing to be bashful about either. We sing. We talk. We thank God for this baby inside of us. We praise God for choosing us to be this baby's Mom. And when our child is born, we continue him or her on that same heritage. We sing. We talk. We pray and glorify God for all that He is doing within our child(ren). Hannah did this, too. Samuel grew up knowing not only is there a God, but that God loved him and had chosen him to serve Him. And when he was ready, Hannah brought him to the temple and handed over his keeping to the priest. She didn't abandon him; she continued to bless him while she lived.

     You and I have been created for a purpose. Our purpose is to glorify God in all that we do. We cannot glorify God if we are living a sinful life. I grew up in a Christian atmosphere. I knew of God. I knew about God. But I did not know God. To glorify God we have to know God. A person can fulfill part of God's purpose on their life even if that person does not know God. We see in the Bible how he would put ideas into some kings' heads that God's purposes would be accomplished at that time. But that's not enough for me. And it shouldn't be enough for you either. 

     God is not finished working on me. His thoughts for my life are greater than my own thoughts for my life. My choices have not always lined up with His. But I have learned from my mistakes; I have not repeated them. I must continually seek God on a daily basis that I may know what He desires of me or what He may choose to reveal to me. He is more than my oasis, God is my well. I draw from Him daily to quench my thirst. And, I am thirsty. It seems as if I will never get enough.

     By sharing my Bible studies with you, I am fulfilling part of my purpose for which I have been created. For this purpose I have been created and am constantly being transformed moment by moment into someone that only God can see, as yet. Greater is He that is in me: God works on me not only on the outside, but also on the inside. God is faithful; I am getting there.

     

Little Pieces of Clay-Making a Christian-1. In the Potter's Hands

Job 1:20 "THEN Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down to the ground, and worshiped." 

The art of worshiping comes from the heart of a worshiper. True worship comes from a heart that remains broken before God. Anyone can sing a song of praise; but God knows the heart. So, even if the song sounds good to our ears, it is just a clanging noise to God's ears. 

1. In the Potter's hands: Job 1

     The book of Job begins with a description of who Job is: that he is an upright man, perfect (righteous) and honorable. A man of Integrity. He fears God and does no evil. We are shown his children, his livelihood, and his abundance. We see that Job interceded for his children on their behalf to God. 

     But one day Satan and the Lord have a conversation regarding Job, resulting in Satan being allowed by God to test Job. Satan hopes to destroy us through our trials and tests, as he tried to do to Job. But God knows our hearts. He allows us to be tested that our faith may be strengthened. And revealing to other people in our lives that God is God through our actions while be tested. 

     Satan is allowed to bring death and destruction to Job's family and property believing that Job would curse God and thereby sentence himself to death. But Job did not. He got up from where he sat, tore his clothes off, shaved his hair off, and fell to the ground, WORSHIPing God: I was born naked, I will die naked: the Lord gives and the Lord takes away: BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD." 

     Everything I have, I have because God gives it to me. Everything I am is a culmination so far of the changes I have allowed God to make within me. I am not who I was: no longer do I wallow in the pits of sin.  I do not drink. I do not get high. I do not sleep around. I do not even want to any more! God changed me because I asked Him to. When I was baptized in His Holy Spirit, He took away the desire to self-destruct. I am His daughter and He is my God. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.