April Scripture Writing Plan: Worship

Happy almost April friends!

The scripture writing plan this month is on the topic of Worship. 

Many people equate worship with doing good deeds and going to church- 

all external things. 

But worship, true worship is a matter of the heart. 

I love this by John Piper regarding worship: 

What is this inner, authentic, godward experience of the heart that we call the essence of worship? And Jesus pointed us toward an answer in John 4:23–24 when he said, “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Notice that worshiping in spirit is not contrasted with worshiping in the body or with the body. Instead, it is put alongside worshiping in truth.

So what would that mean, that we are to be spirit-worshipers, worshiping from the spirit, and truth, driven by truth? I think the point is that when we worship — right worship, good worship, pleasing worship — depends on a right mental grasp of the way God really is, truth. If we worship an idol of our own creation, we are not really worshiping God. And secondly, worship depends on a right spiritual or emotional or affectional heart grasp of God’s supreme value. So true worship is based on a right understanding of God’s nature and it is a right valuing of God’s worth.

The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, prizing God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ. 

Let's spend this month reading and meditating on what God has to say about worship.

FYI: I made the plan 31 days and plan to do that with

all topical plans in the future so that they can be done any month-

not just the month I write them for.

You can find a copy of the plan in English and Spanish in the folder HERE.

{Just a reminder, don't try to print the images below or they will be blurry. Be sure to click the link to download a PDF copy!}


And if you are looking for the old plan for April that was a general plan you can find it HERE

or the April plan from last year (with the topic of Grief) you can find it HERE. 

Memory Verses: Week 13

I believe that Satan doesn’t want us in God’s word and will use any and every means possible to keep us from the truth and therefore we must be prepared and have a PLAN!

To work on hiding God's word in our hearts, 

this year I'm going to be posting a memory verse for each week
 along with a printable to print out and hang up. 

Here's the verse for week 13: 

You can print out the verses in English and Spanish and the complete list in a folder  HERE. 

     

I also created some verse cards that you can print out 

and punch a hole in to carry round with you.

You can find verses for weeks 13-24  HERE. 

Memory Verses: Week 12

I believe that Satan doesn’t want us in God’s word and will use any and every means possible to keep us from the truth and therefore we must be prepared and have a PLAN!

To work on hiding God's word in our hearts, 

this year I'm going to be posting a memory verse for each week
 along with a printable to print out and hang up. 

Here's the verse for week 12:

Romans 8:31 may be the most comforting and encouraging verse in the Bible. 

This verse is a beautiful reminder that God is in control 

and nothing can separate us from Him or defeat us. 

I love that in this verse Paul doesn't ask "Who is against us?"

 but instead says that NO ONE can be against us since we have God on our side.

Although we often feel defeated, 

this verse is a beautiful reminder that evil will NEVER ultimately prevail. 

God is with us always fighting the enemy on our behalf 

and that should be a daily encouragement to us 

and help us to face any difficulty that comes our way.

You can print out the verses in English and Spanish and the complete list in a folder  HERE. 

     

Memory Verses: Week 11

I believe that Satan doesn’t want us in God’s word and will use any and every means possible to keep us from the truth and therefore we must be prepared and have a PLAN!

To work on hiding God's word in our hearts, 

this year I'm going to be posting a memory verse for each week
 along with a printable to print out and hang up. 

Here's the verse for week 11:

I love what Rick Warren has to say about this verse, which is one of my favorite verses! 

"God has a purpose for every season of your life — the lonely seasons, the sad seasons, the seasons of success, the seasons of waiting, and the seasons of grief.

Romans 8:28 says, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV). This is not a promise for everybody. All things do not work together for good for everybody in the world. They only work together for good for those who love God and trust him with their plans.

This is one of the basic truths in the Bible. If you're a believer, nothing comes into your life that hasn't been filtered by your heavenly Father. Your life is not a random series of freak accidents and occurrences and circumstances. God never does anything by accident. He has an appointed time for everything in your life. Even the bad times? Yes.

Don't misunderstand me. God does not have to plan all the problems in your life. He doesn't need to. You come up with them yourself! Bad times happen because of the bad decisions you make. And, they also happen because of bad decisions other people make, where you're an innocent victim. God doesn't have to plan bad things; he is not the author of evil.

But God can draw good out of each event in your life. That means every single event, no matter how dark or shameful or how guilty or bitter you feel about it, God can bring good out of it. He can work for your good.

The Bible doesn't say all things are good. Not all things in the world are good. There's a lot of bad. But it does say that all things work together for good for those who give God all the pieces and say, "Will you work good out of this?” God will do it. He has an appointed time for everything."

You can print out the verses in English and Spanish and the complete list in a folder  HERE. 

     

I Can Only Imagine

I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me is one of my all-time favorite songs. 

The first time I remember hearing it was at the funeral 

for the two children of my dear friend Susan.

I have loved it ever since and think of Josh and Jennifer 

each and every single time I hear it. 

When I heard that they were coming out with a movie about 

the making of the song I was so very excited! 

The movie stars Michael Finley, Madeline Carroll, Trace Adkins, Priscilla Shirer, 

Cloris Leachman, and Dennis Quaid and hits theaters 3/16/18 and I can not wait!

Here's a synopsis of the movie: 

It’s the song that brings ultimate hope to so many … often in the midst of life’s most challenging moments. Amazingly, the song was written in mere minutes by MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard. In reality, those lyrics took a lifetime to craft. 

Although he found faith at a young age, life wasn’t easy for Bart. He leaned into an active imagination and his love of music as escapes from a troubled home life. As he grew older, Bart turned to football in hopes of somehow connecting with his abusive father. But a career-ending injury—combined with the vision of a teacher who saw unlimited potential—set Bart on a musical pathway. 

Chasing a dream while running from broken relationships with father and Shannon, his childhood sweetheart, Bart hits the road on an old, decrepit tour bus with his new band MercyMe—named for his grandmother’s favorite expression. With the guidance of a grizzled music-industry insider, the band begins a journey none of them could ever have imagined.

You can find out more about the movie at the I Can Only Imagine website HERE. 

 You can find a full list of theaters, show times, and tickets HERE. 

Memory Verses: Week 10

I believe that Satan doesn’t want us in God’s word and will use any and every means possible to keep us from the truth and therefore we must be prepared and have a PLAN!

To work on hiding God's word in our hearts, 

this year I'm going to be posting a memory verse for each week
 along with a printable to print out and hang up. 

Here's the verse for week 10:

The reality is that our work can be frustrating and boring sometimes. 

We may not feel like we are making a difference in the world in the job that we have 

and feel as though we could and should be doing more for the Lord. 

This verse is a reminder that the work we do is for the Lord, not the world. 

In this verse Paul is specifically addressing slaves.

He tells them to work heartily because they are working for the Lord. 

We must remember that no matter what we do-we are working for the Lord. 

We don’t have to be a missionary or on a staff member at a church. 

Where we are right now can be used to serve the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

When you feel overwhelmed and want to quit the job you are doing, remember this verse. 

Imagine that the mundane tasks you have to complete you are doing for Jesus himself.

How could that change your perspective and attitude if

 Jesus was sitting in front of you waiting for you to do them? 

You can print out the verses in English and Spanish and the complete list in a folder  HERE.