Worship As A Lifestyle

Worship As A Lifestyle

Posted by Rachel on February 16, 2019 in Church, Personal,

I know that God is powerful, great and so much more. That is what the Bible says after all and I believe it. 

But how often do I stop and meditate on His goodness? 

Why does hardship always seem to be bigger than the God I serve? 

Why do I forget God exists when I go out into the world?

It is because I am not worshiping God.

Last year, the Holy Spirit brought to my attention my lack of worship for God. I was convicted of how self-focused I am. I was always seeking to improve myself. I wanted to know what the Bible says about ME leaving God behind. I'd only listen to Christian songs I could relate to. Worship songs were boring. I focused so much on who I am and what God says about me I neglected knowing who He is. 

This world seems to promote “self” too much. Self-love, self-care, self-confidence concepts are everywhere. Self-help books are booming all around. I went in for the ride. It never satisfied my soul. It left me with a mind full of facts but an empty heart. I wanted God. I wanted Him so much more than anything else.

I found out that what can truly satisfy my soul is to worship God; praising Him for who He is and shifting the focus of my life on Him. For so long I have always looked to myself. But now, I want to lock my eyes upon my Savior. I want to know Jesus more. I want to love Him more. I want to build my life on Him.

It's like my heart keeps running towards Jesus. He makes me full yet always leaves me longing for more. I want to worship God. But I don't want to worship Him for once a week only. I don't want to think of Him just in my quiet time every morning. I want to be constantly aware of His presence. Constant connection is what I crave. My heart is set out on having worship as a lifestyle.

This is not a blog post where I share the answers or the “secret hacks”. Because honestly, I don't have the answers. This is me being open and honest about my struggle of focusing on Jesus. I can feel that my body and spirit are waging a war for my attention each day. I'd love to have my attention fix on the existence of Jesus at all times. Worship is a constant connection with my Creator. 

I hope if there is anything you can get from this post, it's that we need to worship God more than ever. I pray we take our eyes off ourselves, off our glory or sins and focus on Him. When we open our Bibles let's ask ourselves the question, “What does this say about God?” instead of trying to take verses and using it as an affirmation (not that this is wrong, but you get the idea). Let's give God the spotlight on His Word. I desire to know Him more until my heart overflows of His love, and I am in the deep ocean of His mercy. I yearn to be cradled in His arms until myself is lost and all that's left in my eyes is the reflection of the Almighty Savior.

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Keeping the Sabbath Holy at Home

Keeping the Sabbath Holy at Home

Posted by Rachel on February 09, 2019 in Church, Sabbath,

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20˸8-11

The Sabbath is a sign between God and his people. We ought to keep it holy by refraining to do unnecessary work, denying ourselves (refraining from watching TV, using social media, listening to non-Christian music) and worshiping God instead.

Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.

Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,

and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.

Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken! Isaiah 58˸

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It is customary that we spend the day going to church. But what happens when you are unable to go to church? Maybe you’ve fallen ill, accidentally overslept or have to stay home to care for a sick loved one, whatever the reason is, don’t waste the day just because you can’t go to church. There are plenty of ways you can keep the Sabbath at home.

Spending the Sabbath at home can also be refreshing but sometimes the temptations are strong. Your phone is just one snatch away. Your bed can allure you to spend the whole day sleeping. Boredom might strike and tempt you to seek entertainment from the television. I’ll share some ways you can keep the Sabbath holy at home.

1. Start your day with songs of praises.

Make a playlist of Sabbath hymns/songs to listen to. This will freshen your mind to remember the importance of the Sabbath. Listening to Christian songs is a form of worship. By doing so, you are acknowledging God’s sovereignty.

2. Read Psalm 92.

This psalm is specifically designed to be read every Sabbath. To give it a twist, you can listen to the audio version of this Psalm on a Bible App. You can copy it on your journal, or write your thoughts and reflections about the psalm.

3. Spend time in nature.

You can simply do this just by sitting down at your porch and observing. Soaking God’s beauty in nature will remind you He is bigger than anything you face in this world. Look at the big blue sky. Touch the bark and leaves of a tree. Admire the beautiful color of the flowers. Listen to the birds chirp. Watch the pretty butterflies dance around you. Feel the grass under your feet. Breathe in the fresh air. Be captured by the mesmerizing sunset. These are all representations of the beauty and power of our Lord and Savior.

4. Watch or listen to Hope Sabbath School.

In order not to miss any lessons, listening to Hope Sabbath School will make you feel you are in church and still part of the class. It’s an interactive Bible Study filled with wonderful truths to learn.

5. Listen to a sermon of your choice.

The internet has so many archives of sermons. You can search for any topic you need to hear and in a second you'll have results. But every preacher tells the Gospel message correctly, so exercise discernment in doing so. In line with my beliefs, most of the time I listen to sermons on Amazing Facts. 

6. Talk to your family about God.

Open a topic about God. Share about the faithfulness He has shown you throughout the week, talk about thoughts on Jesus’ second coming, etc. Discuss His Word and just bond with your family. Share your struggles and pray together.

7. Read your Bible.

This is a precious day you can spend in reading your Bible for hours. You might have not gotten the chance to spend time in the Word because of busyness through the week, so now is your time. 

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Mark 2˸27

Keeping the Sabbath brings good to us. It was designed to refresh and benefit our lives. It doesn’t have to be boring, there are SO many ways you can keep the Sabbath day holy at home. Be creative and use your imagination.

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5 Tips For Young Superintendents

5 Tips For Young Superintendents

Posted by Rachel on December 19, 2018 in Church,

In a Seventh-day Adventist Church, being a superintendent is a crucial task. They are the ones planning, organizing and overseeing the Sabbath School Program(the first part of our church service), which lasts for an hour.

Being a superintendent at a young age can be overwhelming. I had my first superintendent task this year. It was a challenging yet rich experience for me. Struggling with insecurity and anxiety, I was able to learn to put that aside and focus on what's important-serving Jesus.

I remember feeling lost by the lack of training and experience, that I looked to the internet for tips from fellow Adventists, and I only found a few.

I'd like to share with you some tips that I learned along the way.

1. Focus on Jesus.

This is the most important tip I can give you. There will be a lot of distractions thrown in, that can make you lose your focus, your true purpose on why you're doing this. Make a mental note to always look to Jesus. You are doing this because of Him. One verse that has helped me out a lot, one I write all over my "superintendent notebook" is this:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23

Try to memorize it by heart and repeat it to yourself when you feel lost and exhausted with the tasks and duties piling up.

2. Plan and prepare.

I recommend having a "superintendent notebook" where you can write your opening remarks, participants' names, and contact numbers, or even have a space where you can journal your thoughts to God. Having a steady notebook where you can write superintendent related thoughts will come in handy.

Pray for and choose your participants wisely. Try to scan around the congregation and look for new faces you can approach to give a part in the service. Always get your participants' contact number so you can remind them a day before. 

Through this, they can also let you know if an emergency occurred, and they might not make it; which gives you time to look for another one.  Be sure to have extra copies of mission stories and promotional talks. In case you can't find a replacement, you can be prepared to do the part yourself.

Plan for your opening remarks. As much as possible, make sure it is founded on Biblical Truth and make it short and sweet.

3. Time is gold.

One elder in church really appreciated that I started on time and ended on time. As much as possible, start on time. You can also start 5 minutes early to allot for the song service. By doing this you contribute to the smooth timely flow of the church service in which participants after the Sabbath School program will have their rightfully allotted time to speak.

4. Ask for help.

Help is always offered in my church. I hope that's the way it is in yours too. So approach and ask for advice and tips from fellow church members. Sometimes shifts in the program's sequence may happen, be sure to ask for suggestions from church elders before moving forward to a decision.

5. Remember, God is in control.

No matter what happens, trust that God is in control. Anxiety can creep up when participants are not yet arriving and there are only 10 minutes left to start. In these moments, trust that God will carry them safely and on time to church. He is working behind the scenes. Remind yourself that no matter what happens, "God is in control."

Therefore, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake." Deuteronomy 31:6

It's not always going to be easy. You won't always feel support from the people around you. I have felt underestimated because I'm young, I've heard comments that I'm just "too young" for the task. Instead of focusing on those comments, I cling to 1 Timothy 4:12, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." 

You don't have to prove yourself to others. This isn't what it's about, anyway. It's about believing that God has a purpose for you. It's about working at this duty with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men. You've got this! God's got you! 

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