From Dawn to Dusk
Imagine, for a moment, this wonderfully diverse planet we call home. Everything you can imagine from the skies above to the deepest part of the ocean—God created all of it. And God created all of us to worship Him.
From north to south and east to west.
From bustling cities to quiet villages.
From lifeless deserts to life-packed forests.
From the highest mountains to the farthest oceans.
“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”
Psalm 113:3 NIV
The sun “rises” and “sets” on all of us. All people, all languages, all nations. All skin colors, eye colors, and hair colors. All shapes, sizes, and personalities. Rich and poor. Aching hearts and contagious smiles.
An eclectic mix of people from various parts of the world have always been praising God from generation to generation—and it continues to happen now. And we know it will never stop.
In Revelation 7, John has a vision of a “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,” who is Christ. They are serving and worshiping, all day and night.
God’s people—past, present, and future—are people who worship.
We can worship with our songs.
We can worship with our gifts.
We can worship with our lives.
And one day, when we finally see things clearly, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But today, we don’t have to wait to worship.
When sunlight streams through your windows, you can worship.
When the evening sky turns orange-ish pink, you can worship.
When you’re in a season of waiting, you can worship.
When you’re in a season of receiving, you can worship.
When your heart is breaking, you can worship.
When your heart is full, you can worship.
From dawn to dusk, let the name of the Lord be praised.
Today, think about this verse and consider what compels you to worship God. Then, shift your heart toward Him and don’t forget to worship.
A Gift Worth Receiving
After Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed for almost four decades, the religious Jews were angry with Him. This may seem strange, because healing is a good thing, but Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath—the day of rest. In the Old Testament, God gave believers a long list of rules to follow in order to stay right with Him, and these rules included honoring the Sabbath.
But in the New Testament, Jesus was sent to change our relationship with the Father. By sacrificing Himself on the cross, He gave us access to a relationship with God—so that long list of rules was no longer needed. Throughout Jesus' life, He shows people the nature of this new relationship. But because it didn’t line up with what the religious establishment believed, they were angry with Him.
In John 5, Jesus justifies these changes through revealing His true authority. By calling God His Father, He shared that He was equal to God. This angered the religious Jews, but it gives us a ...