About CFC
Lord in all
By John Johnston
28th January 2012 | Category: Join the Journey 2012
Key Verse
I will make you my own special people and I will be your God. And you will know that I am the Lord your God who has rescued you from your slavery in Egypt. I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It will be your very own property. I am the Lord.
Main Content
CENTRAL TRUTH – He is the Lord in all and every circumstance.
Where is your focus?
It is very much a facet of our world today that we praise people for what they do - advance the company – receive a promotion – make high grades – get on the honour roll. Rarely does someone become famous based on lofty character traits alone. They have to publish, score, sell, win or record and then maybe if they are in the right place at the right time they’ll get recognised.
This method of praising others is often what we use to praise God. Our first question or thought might be “What has God done to benefit me?” Sadly the quality of our thanks often equals the quality of our blessing. With this standard Pharaoh might not have much to say in reply. God unleashed terror on Pharaoh’s country for holding the Israelites. Did that exempt him from worshipping God..?
God tells us a lot about himself in the Scriptures. He also proclaims that He does many things, “I will fulfil my oath” “I am mighty to save”. He should be praised for these deeds but when our worship becomes contingent on God doing things for us we walk on dangerous ground. God will not be managed or manipulated. Like us Pharaoh still had an obligation to worship God for who God is.
In His re-introduction to this band of Israelites God begins and ends his address with the declaration “I am the Lord”. In fact, He repeats this phrase over 130 times in the Old Testament when addressing Israel. In today’s text God goes to great lengths to say “I am going to do it, you can count on me.” God wanted his people to know Him. He expected and still does today that worship to be a by-product of that relationship. Our worship of God must centre on a clear knowledge of who He is and not only what He does. Take time right now to worship the God that you know.
Consider:
Discussion Questions
1. Do you find yourself waiting for God’s next blessing to motivate you to worship?
2. Do you sometimes blame God for your bad day?
3. Do we forget to praise Him when things turn around or are going particularly well?
Psalm 232: The Message records it like this: “You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.”
Today - Be creative in incorporating break times with God. Before embarking on a new activity or errand spend a moment thanking God for how your day is going.
John Johnston
Hi, I’m John Johnston, I am married to the lovely Karen. We live in Comber with four of our six children – Thomas, Melissa, Lauren and Jonathan. Mark and Gemma live in Singapore and New York respectively. I work for the Health service and am a student at Charis Bible College, Belfast. I am a keen soccer fan and support two teams, Man Utd and Man Utd Reserves !! I like to keep fit and can also be regularly found at Ravenhill cheering on the Ulster Rugby team.
