{"id":27226,"date":"2021-01-21T21:48:20","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T02:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=27226"},"modified":"2021-01-21T22:16:14","modified_gmt":"2021-01-22T03:16:14","slug":"worship-wednesday-celebrating-the-giver-and-sustainer-of-life-life-song-casting-crowns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=27226","title":{"rendered":"Worship Wednesday – Celebrating the Giver and Sustainer of Life – Life Song – Casting Crowns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo Credit: Bible Study Tools<\/a><\/p>\n

Every four years, my birthday and the US Presidential Inauguration are celebrated on the same day. This year was one of those years.<\/p>\n

Now, my birthday was one of the big ones, drawing a lot of exclamations from friends when they find out which one. So that either says I look or act younger than my age, or I’m way older than they thought. I’m wondering at my age, as well.<\/p>\n

Not so much that this birthday isn’t getting celebrated – like a rock star! Bring on the flowers, the cake, and the meetups [COVID-altered but undaunted]. Yay, for birthdays.<\/p>\n

Peaceful transfers of presidential power are also worthy of huge celebrations. It is the American way, and it’s happening again.<\/p>\n

We may have mixed feelings about birthdays…and even about inaugurations. If we raise our gaze just a little higher, we can thrill to what is going on in the spiritual realm.<\/p>\n

Whatever we might think about life right now…us getting older, or times getting stranger…we can take heart.<\/p>\n

Perhaps we were born for just such a time as this. [Esther 4:14b<\/a>]<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Photo Credit: Salvation Army<\/a><\/p>\n

God is not surprised, nor is He hindered in giving life or sustaining life. Certainly, He is able to equip us and keep us on track – in the works He has given each of us from the beginning of time (Ephesians 2:10<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Isn’t that astounding?! For us, yes; for Him, no.\"\"<\/a>Photo Credit: Daily Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

I take great comfort in the passage in John 10 above. Nothing can snatch us out of His hands. Nothing. No one. Forever we are His.<\/p>\n

In thinking about birthdays and inaugurations, we celebrate the God who gives us life and sustains us through it.<\/p>\n

Facing a new decade of life, I look up. To the God who keeps His promises…who gives us life day to day straight on to eternity…and sustains His children through it all.<\/p>\n

As for the Inauguration and a new US President…we are not saved by any political party or president, we are saved by a King. With a forever kingdom…and it stands in beauty and power and glory.<\/p>\n

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. –<\/span><\/em> Hebrews 12:28-29<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

I love Gill’s Commentary<\/a> on this great God being a consuming fire: “…here it is our God, our covenant God, our God in Christ; not that he is so to the saints, or to them that are in Christ: he is indeed as a wall of fire in his providences, to protect and defend them, and as fire in his word to enlighten and warm them, to guide and direct them, but not a consuming fire to them; this he is to their enemies, who are as thorns, and briers, and stubble before him.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Oh that our lives bring a smile to the face of our Creator and Sustainer God! [As the picture the Casting Crowns<\/a>‘ song paints below].<\/p>\n

May we take birthdays and inaugurations in stride, and in the context of a larger Kingdom…and a God who is very much in control.<\/p>\n

Worship<\/a> with me:<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Empty hands held high
\nSuch small sacrifice
\nIf not joined with my life
\nI sing in vain tonight<\/p>\n

May the words I say
\nAnd the things I do
\nMake my lifesong sing
\nBring a smile to You<\/p>\n

Let my lifesong sing to You
\nLet my lifesong sing to You
\nI want to sign Your name to the end of this day
\nKnowing that my heart was true
\nLet my lifesong sing to You<\/p>\n

Lord I give my life
\nA living sacrifice
\nTo reach a world in need
\nTo be Your hands and feet<\/p>\n

So may the words I say
\nAnd the things I do
\nMake my lifesong sing
\nBring a smile to You<\/p>\n

Hallelujah
\nHallelujah
\nLet my lifesong sing to You<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

*Lyrics to Life Song<\/em> – Casting Crowns – Songwriter: John Mark Hall<\/a><\/p>\n

Behind the Song: Casting Crowns Shares the Heart Behind Their Hit Song “Lifesong”<\/em> – Abby Young<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo Credit: Bible Study Tools Every four years, my birthday and the US Presidential Inauguration are celebrated on the same day. This year was one of those years. Now, my birthday was one of the big ones, drawing a lot of exclamations from friends when they find out which one. So that either says I … Continue reading Worship Wednesday – Celebrating the Giver and Sustainer of Life – Life Song – Casting Crowns<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[810,3396,926,1324,3208,1277,50,5221,903,1435,825,33,18,795,747,3752,1178,1456,610,1002,32,47,203,946],"tags":[8925,942,1170,1233,1836,8926,1835,6016,373,8923,8924,98,688,8920,49,360],"class_list":["post-27226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-good-gifts","category-america","category-attending-or-focus","category-birthdays","category-finishing-strong","category-glory-of-god","category-god","category-god-the-father","category-grace","category-growing-up","category-holidays","category-inspired","category-jesus","category-love-2","category-mom-and-dad","category-purpose-in-life","category-sacrifice","category-steadfast-love","category-thanksgiving-or-gratefulness","category-transformational","category-walk-with-god","category-wednesday-worship","category-word-of-god","category-worship","tag-abby-young","tag-birthdays","tag-casting-crowns","tag-creator-god","tag-god","tag-good-father","tag-jesus","tag-john-mark-hall","tag-life","tag-life-song","tag-lifesong","tag-parents","tag-sacrifice","tag-us-presidential-inauguration","tag-worship","tag-worship-wednesday"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pauPAB-758","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27226"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27240,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27226\/revisions\/27240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}