Worship is...

What comes into your mind when you hear worship?

According to Merriam Webster worship is: A reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also : an act of expressing such reverence and a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual.

What are the things that you consider worship? Is worship when you only sing songs to God at church? Raising your hands towards the heaven? Closing your eyes when praying? Uttering words of honor and praise to God? or everything you do in church is worship? Yes they are worship. But not limited to stuff like those, worship is far more than what it is used to be or what it is meant to be by word.

When I hear the word worship, it does not only happen in church with our church mates but mostly also outside the four walls of our churches with other people who are unbelievers.

Many of us sometimes forget what worship is all about when we are out of church, when we are moving and interact with the real world, with the real battlefield, in a place where worship should be practiced importantly and diligently.


For me worship is also...

- Honoring God's name
- Loving God
- Thinking God in every thing you do
- Trusting Him more especially in times of trials
- Following what Jesus told us to do during His time here on earth
- Trusting and believing God's word
- Sharing the salvation to other whenever there is opportunity
- Practicing justice
- Loving people
- Serving other people
- Doing simple things in the name of Jesus
- Extending arms to people who are hurting and are in need of help
- Declaring victory over trials and problems
- And all other things no matter how big or small they are as long as they glorify God's name, I can say it is worship

What about you? How do you define worship in your own way? Or should we say how do you practice worship in your own way? I may not know you personally but I am sure that you also have lots of ways of showing your worship to God. Just always keep in mind that as long as it is according to the word of God, giving glory to God, pleasing to the eyes of God, not breaking the law of God, and putting smile on God's face, it is worship.

© Youth Under Christ's Kingdom

Seek God Wholeheartedly

I just realized that as a Christian and follower of Jesus, one of the things that we should maintain in our life is to continue seeking Him. Continue seeking His face, glory and guidance for the rest of our life in walking with Him. It does not mean that if you are already a christian, you will stop seeking God, because before what I understand was, seeking God was only for those who have not found God yet in their life. I was wrong. We should continue to seek God's face, and the more we look and long for Him the more we become attach to Him and the more we continue to know God deeply.

God's word promises, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" in Jeremiah 29:13 NIV. And we are also being promised that God "rewards those who sincerly seek Him" Jeremiah 11:6.

I can say to myself that when we say wholeheartedly, it is equivalent to say "with our heart or with all our heart and sincerly." Means that whatever we do while following Jesus, we should be doing it with all our heart or together with our heart and not only because we are after the rewards. Doing with heart or wholeheatedly also means that we are doing it because we love to do it and we are enjoying it and not because we need to or have to or we are being forced to do it. Let us wholeheartedly seek God.

Let me give you some little tips on how we can continue to seek God. Although it is little for me but I believe that it will help us tremendously in walking with God and help us know Him better as we continue following and living a life with Him.

First is by reading His word regularly. Many I have heard that reading God's word is one of the ways of how we listen to God. It is really impossible to know God without listening to Him, so reading your bible is a must. Some of you may say that I do not have time to read my bible due to some activities and circumstances that are out of my control but I do make sure that I go to church every sunday and listen to our pastor's message and closely listen to the bible passages he shares, which is undisputedly good but I strongly advised to read the bible yourself or experience it first hand and not second hand. First hand means you read the bible with your very own eyes while second hand means you encounter it by listening to someone saying or reading the bible.

So listen to God, read the bible. We listen to him when we consistently spend time in the scriptures. Psalms 119:15-16: "I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your principles and not forget your words."

Second way we practice our desire and sincerity in seeking God is by being obedient to what He commands us to do. Obeying God does not only shows how we really love him but also this is one of the ways of putting smile on God's face. I remember Jesus said and promised in John 14:21, "Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.

Dr. Bill Bright said that sin, rebellion and disobedience blind us to the light of God's magnificence. If you want to get closer to God and know Him intimately, then you must be willing to obey Him in all things.

Third and last thing I will share is by Praying. If reading God's word is the way we listen to Him, then Praying is talking to Him. To know Him more, we should not only listen to Him, we should also talk to Him. Tell him what you need, what you feel and everything about you in prayer. Although God knows everything about you, He still longs for your voice talking to Him personaly like a dad talking to his son.

Most of all let us do all these things with love in our hearts. Seek God wholeheartedly and above all love God wholeheartedly. Just like one my favorite bible verses says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." - Mark 12:30.

What Is Peace?

How do you define the word "Peace"? Is it the absence of war between or among nations? A ceasefire between a verbally fighting couples? Or a winning answer to a beauty pageant? So hard to imagine that some people have a tendency to identify "Peace" in terms of financial security, drugs, alcohol, sex and even relationships. I hope you are not one of them and you have a different way or a real definition for the word "Peace" or should I say, a Christlike way of defining the word peace.

If we go ahead and take a look at how Jesus defines peace, we will notice that He showed us its real meaning when He had peace during temptation (Matthew 4:1-11) , during a storm (Luke 8:22-25), during interrogation (John 18:33-38), and even at the cross (Luke 23:34).

Can we imagine or have the same kind of peace Jesus had during those times? The good news is YES WE CAN! We can have the same peace that He had because Jesus willingly gave it to His disciples or to us. Remember when Jesus said in John 14:27? He says, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

You maybe then asked, "But how can we have His (Jesus') peace? I would like you to take a look at the whole chapter of John 14, where it talks about the Holy Spirit who dwells in every believer and works through them as each is transformed into the image of Christ. Look if we just abide in the Holy Spirit and walk in every step with Him, the fruit of the holy spirit will naturally be the result of our life with Him, and those are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

According to one of the Pastors I've heard preaching about this peace that Jesus gives, there are three words that we should remember and not just remember but also live by to have God's peace and these are RECEIVE, RELEASE and RELY.

As I remember and wrote down my notes about this, here's how he discussed these three words to us.

Receive: God has given us His peace and all we need to do now is respond to it by receiving this peace. Romans 5:1 declares, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Because of our sin, we are at war with God and in this state we can never find genuine peace. But because God loves us so much( John 3:16), He gave His one and only Son Jesus Christ to pay for all our sins by dying on the cross. When we completely put our faith and trust in Him alone, we will be counted worthy. He will consider us righteous not because of what we have done or who we are but because of Jesus' righteousness and His finished work on the cross. Jesus does not promise us trouble-free life but He guarantees that we can have His peace when we receive Him into our lives.

Release: This one refers to cast all our burdens and worries on Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says: " casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." When we release all our burdens and cares on Him, God supernaturally enables us to conquer them and replaces them with His peace. God will triumph over all our trials no matter how terrible they may seem to be. When we release all our cares and burdens on Him prayer, He will surely give us His peace - one that surpasses all understanding, explanation and imagination, (Philippians 4:6-7)

Rely: This is the last and third one. Sometimes we have a tendency to grab back those anxieties and worries after releasing them to God. We seem to be want in control, to put all those stuff in our own hands. We try to rectify our problems through our own efforts, resources, skills and determination, until we only see ourselves have fallen into the big and deep pit of frustration, despair, discouragement and defeat simply because to put God's role of which we will never succeed doing.

Martin Luther once said: "Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible." And that's the way it should be. When relying in God, we should completely put our faith and trust in Him, never take it back again, obey His instructions even it does not sound illogical and rely on His character and promises. Joshua 23:14 says: "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you; not one of them has failed."

God does not promise us a life of sunshine that's free from troubles, trials and disappointments. But He assures us that when we go through the storms of life, He will keep a watchful eyes over every single one of us.

Please let me end with this passage from Isaiah 43:2 that says...

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you."

We Are Not Alone

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. - Isaiah 43:1-3

Those are some example verses in the bible that we can be sure of difficulties will come in our way while staying here on earth. However the good news about that is God will be with us no matter what, and that's something good to know as for sure we will not be there alone but with God himself.

I understand that it is impossible for us to be spared from all difficulties in this life, but let me give you some encouraging promises from God's word that will certainly reassure you that He will not leave us during these trying times.

"Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." - Psalm 23:4 These clearly states that David definitely knew that God would never leave nor forsake Him.

"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world." - John 16:33. This was told to us by Jesus that we can expect to have difficulties in life while living in here and yet at the same time that He will comfort us.

Brothers and Sisters, if you are currently going through troubles, trials and difficulties today, please take in your mind that God has never and will never leave you alone in the middle of this. He will be with you every single minute and seconds of your life especially these times of in need. Ask God to reveal Himself and unfailing love for you.

Let me end this post with passage from Psalm 34:19 "The good man does not escape all troubles - He has them too. But the Lord helps him in each and and everyone."!

Finish The Race

It is not that easy to live a life of being a Christian when you are in a situation or place where most of the people are not believers like you. It feels like you are a small piece of burning coal being placed in the middle of the Antarctic Ocean.

So hard to maintain the fire and seems like everyone around you wants to loose it and eventually become like one of them, and that's what I do not want to happen. I want to continue to live a life of worship and full of thanksgiving to The Lord. I want to finish the race like what Paul did, I want to hear the words from the very lips of Jesus Christ, "Well done my good and faithful servant". I want to run and finish the race until the end.

Power Of Words

Have you ever thought how powerful our words are? Have you known that words would matter over life and death? That words are not just words that come out of our mouth? Words and what you say matter, my friend told me when we were talking about some crazy stuff like how animals, trees or plants talk to each other or if they ever had any other way of communicating to each other.

But do you really believe that words have power? Let see some of the scriptures found in the Bible talking about or referring to this topic of mine.

Paul said in Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." How about that one? See, our words carry so much weight that they can even affirm our salvation, therefore, affect the spiritual realm.

Jesus once warned us about taking our speech too lightly, where can we find that, see this verse Matthew 12:36-37 "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

In Proverbs 18:21 we can also see that it says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it[for death or life].

Let me share you a story and it was about a group of frogs in the forest. These group of frogs were trying to go to the other part of the forest to see some things and insects to eat. Suddenly without noticing two of the frogs fell into the hole full of thick and tough mud, and the remaining of the frogs just stood around the edge of the hole and were keep on shouting to the two frogs that they will not going to make it out of the mud and just give up as trying to escape would do no good. And over and over, they continued to shout on the top of their lungs. One of the two frogs just gave up and died but not the other one. This frog kept on jumping and jumping with perseverance, determination and with all his strength until he was able to get out of the hole. The frogs were shocked and could not believe that He made it. But these frogs never known that he was a deaf frog and this deaf frog thought that other frogs were cheering him up that he could get out of the hole and just keep on jumping.

See that's how powerful our words are, so be careful when saying words make sure that it will help other and not will make them down. I also believe that if we continue to use foul words or languages and saying negative statements and things that do not really helpful, this will also continue to break our God's heart.

Hebrews 11:6 says: "Without faith it is impossible to please God." What kind of faith are we demonstrating when we speak words of doom and destruction over our friends, family members and other people around us? Shouldn't we be praying and standing on God's promises for them instead? And when we or someone is sick, aren't we focusing more on that the illness will not heal or will even become worst than on God's ability and willingness to heal that illness? Why don't we try to start today saying things that will benefit you and others, that will make you and others grow?

If you remember saying some things that you now regret, take a minute to repent for what you have said and think about the things that you could have said instead. Use God's word as a major part of you game plan.

Are you going to be the one talking about love instead of anger, unity instead of destruction and division, light instead of darkness, wellness instead of illness, thankfulness and praises instead of complaints, victory instead of poverty, brothers instead of enemies, peace instead of war, and forgiving instead of hating?

I can surely tell you that if you will have a courage and willingness to change your words, you will change your life and you can even affect all those people around you. May David's prayers be ours today: "May the words of my mouth and the thoughts in my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." -Psalms 19:14.

Before you leave this page, why don't you also pray with me...

"Lord, forgive me for the times my speech has been filled with doubt and destruction instead of faith and life. Cleanse my lips the way you did Isaiah's (Isaiah 6:6,7). Help me to speak words that please You and bless others. remind me of all Your precious promises of wholeness, life and victory. thank you that my words of life will bring people hope and healing!

How much is Jesus worth to you?

What was the most expensive gift have you ever given to someone? What motivated you to spend that much for the person? Apparently, when you are motivated by love, price is not a constraint; but nothing is too expensive when you spend it for the one you love. Also, when you are motivated by love, you do not mind bearing the shame and risking your life to save or protect that person, do you?

Judas and Mary. On the outset, both of them appeared to be sincere followers of Jesus. Nonetheless, we see the difference when we look at their lives closely. John 12 reveals to us a stark contrast between the character and motives of Judas and Mary, and ultimately, in the way they valued Jesus Christ. Judas Iscariot was chosen to be part of Jesus' inner circle. Judas probably had a career that he had to leave in order to follow Jesus. The disciples trusted Judas enough for them to delegate their group's money box to him. None of them ever assumed he would steal their funds nor sell their master for 30 silver coins. But in reality, Judas pilfered money. Thus, it was not a surprise to hear a rebuke from him such as what retorted to Mary. "Whay was this perfume not sold for three hundred dinarii and given to poor people?" Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. Eventually the same greed led him to hand Jesus over to the chief priest and elders in exchange of 30 silver coins, which at that time was the price of a slave - the price that tag Judas set on his master's head. He saw something in Jesus that was worth his time but not worth his heart.

Mary of bethany, on the other hand, was a close friend of Jesus. For her, the cost was not an issue. Mary took a pound of very costly perfumeof pure nard, and annointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with wthe fragrance of the perfume (John 12:3).

Nard was an expensive oitment imported from India. The scriptures shows that Mary did not mind consuming this perfume worth a year's wages just to demonstrate her love for Jesus. Mary considered everything rubbish compared to love for Jesus. She honored Jesus by anointing His feet wit pure nard and wiping it with her hair. Mary's acct was a statement in itself, telling us that she regarded the best part of her, which in her case was her crowning glory, her hair, as nothing compared to the least part of Jesus, His feet. Her act of worship was done extravagance, in humility and with self-abandonment. It didn't matter what people woould say and do to her if only to give the honor to the One whom it is due. She reckoned Jesus worthy of her everything. People who claim to be followers of Jesus almost look the same from the outside but inside they have different motivations for doing what they do. What Judas regarded was a waste of money, Mary generously poured out as her love offering to Jesus. Judas had a superficial religion but Mary found a loving relationship in Jesus. Judas followed Jesus for selfish gain, but Mary followed Jesus selfless giving. We remember Judas for a life that led to self-destruction while Mary will forever be remembered as the woman who honored God by ofgering her best.

Our love for Jesus is observed in our attitude and behaviour not only in public but also in private lives. When people look at us, do they see Jesus? When they come closer to us, do they feel the love of God? Jesus said in Matthew 25:42, "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." How much we value Jesus will be evident in our lives for others. Jesus told his dicisples, "A new commandment I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my dicisples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35).

What about you? How much do you value Jesus? Remember that you can only give what you have. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19). Do you already have a loving relationship with Jesus to begin with? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). If you have not started a personla relationship with Jesus, you can come to him today and surrender your life to him. In this time of crisis, we have before us countless opportunities to show God how much He means to us by actively loving others. What is that nard that you can pour out as a sign of your devotion to him? What is that costly perfume that you can offer to our brothers and sisters who are in great need?