Wednesday, 19th June

READING

Psalm 103

Romans 8: 31 – 39

MEDITATION

How do you express your emotions?

Especially when we remember all that Jesus has done for us.

Emotion is a very important part of the Christian experience, and of worship on Sundays.

In J. I. Packer’s book on pursuit of Godliness he quotes Thomas Adams, a puritan hundreds of years ago.  Adams looked at the church service, and says of his day:  “I think there is something missing.”

I wonder if that is a critique apt for our times.

It is easy to come to church on Sunday as a duty.  It is easy to come to church and desire to hear the word of God, which is of course a good thing.

But it is also so easy to forget the importance, and the joy of praising God; to love the singing and the praying.

Yes, we come to be blessed by God.

But there is a place to bless God, and there is a place to bless one another.

The psalmist says in Psalm 103:

‘Praise the Lord, O my soul;

All my inmost being,

Praise his holy name.’

He uses the words: ‘my inmost being’

That is a call to praise God with our whole selves.

It is a call to engage God not just with our minds, but our hearts as well.

Let us PRAISE the Lord.

PRAYER

Oh Lord, how great you are, you are worthy of all praise,

Help me not to forget what you have done for me in Christ,

So that I can praise you with all my soul, and praise you with my inmost being.

PRAYER for WEDNESDAY:

Today we give thanks for all the benefits we have in Christ.

We give thanks for:

• Forgiveness
• Life in Christ
• God’s love and compassion
• The hope we can live with
• The God who rules
• The gift of each other

We pray that at CCB we would, through our services on Sunday, our weekly growth groups, and in all our ministries, encourage each other not to forget His benefits.

That we would encourage an atmosphere where we can praise God with all our souls, and from our inmost being.

Pray we would be known for our delight and Joy in Christ.