Inspirational Sunday

Worship the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water.

Exodus 23:25

Rae's Thought: This verse can be taken in two ways:

1. Serve the LORD and only the LORD, and He will give you what you need. God wanted the Israelites to know that He and He alone was able to provide for them. Later on in this passage, He tells the Israelites about the other nations that He'd planned on driving away. God tells them that worshipping the other nations' gods will be a snare (trap) for them.

This message isn't only for the Israelites in ancient Bible days. It's for all of God's children in present day. The worship of other gods does not only pertain to the statue gods that others may worship. As soon as something becomes more important to you than God and your relationship with Him, it becomes your god. Something other than God filling your every thought? Then you've placed whatever it is higher than God. People today worship money, materials, jobs, status, and so much more. They even worship other people. God wants us to know that He and He alone can provide for us (our bread and water). Nothing and no one can give us what we need. Serve the LORD - and only the LORD - and He will bless your bread and water.

2. Worship the LORD always, and He will give you what you need. So many times, when we're going through difficulties, we completely forget to continue to worship the Lord. Our minds are so focused on what's happening and the pain we may be feeling, that the thought of worshipping and praising God never crosses our minds...or it does cross our mind, but we ignore it (I mean, come on! Worship/praise insinuates happiness and I'm so NOT happy right now!).

Worshipping the Lord takes our minds off our problems. Right now, as I write this, I'm experiencing financial difficulties, like so many other people. I don't know how I'm going to pay the upcoming bills and I'm living from paycheck to paycheck. I can choose to worry about what's going to happen or I can choose to worship the Lord and trust that He will give me what I need. I find that, nothing good comes out of worrying. I only end up overwhelmed, worrying myself sick, snapping at my family, complaining to God, or forgetting about God altogether. Oh, but when I'm worshipping God, my focus is taken off my problems and put on God. I'm given such a sense of peace when I worship Him. I close my eyes, lift my hands, and, with all that is within me, I worship. My favorite worship song is, How Great is Our God, by Chris Tomlin. Even now, I'm listening to and singing this song, tears (of joy) running down my face. 'Name above all names. You are worthy of all praise and my heart will sing how great is our God!' God is so awesome! I can sing it over and over, worshipping my Lord... Oh the peace! The joy! And, after all is said and done, I'll find that, just as He's promised, God has blessed my bread and water!

God provides for and takes care of His children. He always has and always will. What do you stand in need of? Worship the Lord, your God ALWAYS, and He will bless your bread and water.