Tsunami Devotional by Steve Keaton
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Title: "We Should Be Dancing... Yeah!"
Text: Psalm 150 (NIV) 1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
The other day, while sitting at my desk, I turned on iTunes and started listening to some music as I sifted through the pile of work for the day. I have a pretty eclectic playlist on my iPod. I can enjoy The David Crowder Band 1 minute, then follow it up with The Backstreet Boys. You may run across some Johnny Cash, "Burning Ring of Fire", then slide right into The Doobie Brothers' "Black Water". I guess it is safe to say that I like just about anything.
Well, in the midst of working and enjoying my music, I found myself in a full-on jam session of the classic Disco hit, from the BeeGees, "You Should Be Dancing". I love that song. You know, music is pretty powerful and it is amazing how a song from 1976 can still move a person in 2010. Anyway, as I began to groove in my chair, I quickly felt the intense desire to stand to my feet and move around the office. I have a pretty large office, so I knew I could cover some ground and probably not break anything. Then next thing I knew, I was doing my best "John Travolta" impression from the movie Saturday Night Fever, and I was lost in the moment. I didn't care who walked by and saw me. I didn't care what anyone might think. I didn't care that the office door and window blind was open. I just new, at that moment, I should follow the suggestion of the song and dance! And dance I did!!!
After the song ended and I came down from my disco high and made my way back to the desk to get back to work after my 3 1/2 minute time travel back to the 70's. Then it hit me. I never thought of asking the question, "Why should I be dancing?" I mean, I just heard the statement, felt the power of the music and submitted. So, I started to answer the question I just posted. And the answer was a simple one. "I should be dancing because... I AM LOVED!!!" Yep, I'm loved by many very special people in my life. I'm loved by an amazing wife and remarkable children. And that is enough to get one moving. But the love that should get each of us out of our seats and moving to the tunes of life, without a care of what others may think, say or act, comes simply from the amazing, unceasing and unconditional love of God. The same God who gave His own son for our eternal life. The same God who hung the stars and the moon. The same God who filled our lungs with oxygen this morning and makes the waves crash upon the shores. That God loves us! And with that being said, how can our response be anything less than DANCING???
So, is the way you are living your life a dance of celebration of God's love? Can others see the rhythm of God's love pulsing through your very being? Or are you too worried about what those around you may think? All I've got to say is, if you're willing take the time to truly look into what God has done for you, and is willing to do for you, and who He should be in your life, you will begin to fully come to the realization that... YOU SHOULD BE DANCING - YEAH!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 29th, 2010 "On the Contrary"
Tsunami Devotional by Steve Keaton
Title: "On the Contrary"
Text: Exodus 20:3 (NIV)
"You shall have no other gods before Me."
Way back in the day, when I was just a wee little fellow, making my way through the hallways of my high school, I was only interested in a few things.
One piece that really jumped out at me was the idea that the Earth was the center of the universe and everything else revolved around it. I can understand the concept and why people of that time would believe such an idea. Why not? From their vantage point, they lived, as an intelligent society, and by simply looking toward the sky they would see things like the moon, stars and other amazing celestial bodies moving from east to west in the midnight sky. But something changed. That idea was proved to be wrong and instead of our planet being the most important and most meaningful, we finally realized we orbited something bigger, more meaningful and more powerful. The Sun. What a crushing blow to the ego. But, we have become a well-adjusted planet. Haven't we?
However, when it comes to our daily lives, and even for those of us that consider ourselves Christ-Followers, we often still make our way through life with an "It is all about me" or "I'm the center of the universe" attitude. We want what we want, when we want it. And if those around us don't recognize this, then they are wrong, against us and should just get out of the way. And that even includes our relationship with God.
Think about it. Next time you pray, write down what your prayer consists of. How much of it is "Me" focused instead of "HE" focused? We tend to pray for or seek the things that will best meet our needs of enable to get ahead in this world. Is that the true purpose? It is so easy to look back at those societies that firmly believed that the Earth was the center of it all, many, many years ago, and say "How silly they were." Yet today we don't necessarily look at the planet we occupy as the center of it, but we have no problem thinking WE are the center of it all. And until we truly begin to realize that God is the center, most powerful and most important thing of all, we will never fully become all we can be, live the lives God desires us to live, and truly impact the kingdom of God with all God has gifted us with.
So, next time you begin to huff and puff and even think about blowing someone's house down, all in the name of "It is all about me!", remember one very important thing. If it isn't all about God, it just isn't worth it, and you have totally missed the point.
Title: "On the Contrary"
Text: Exodus 20:3 (NIV)
"You shall have no other gods before Me."
Way back in the day, when I was just a wee little fellow, making my way through the hallways of my high school, I was only interested in a few things.
- Sports
- Girls
- World History
One piece that really jumped out at me was the idea that the Earth was the center of the universe and everything else revolved around it. I can understand the concept and why people of that time would believe such an idea. Why not? From their vantage point, they lived, as an intelligent society, and by simply looking toward the sky they would see things like the moon, stars and other amazing celestial bodies moving from east to west in the midnight sky. But something changed. That idea was proved to be wrong and instead of our planet being the most important and most meaningful, we finally realized we orbited something bigger, more meaningful and more powerful. The Sun. What a crushing blow to the ego. But, we have become a well-adjusted planet. Haven't we?
However, when it comes to our daily lives, and even for those of us that consider ourselves Christ-Followers, we often still make our way through life with an "It is all about me" or "I'm the center of the universe" attitude. We want what we want, when we want it. And if those around us don't recognize this, then they are wrong, against us and should just get out of the way. And that even includes our relationship with God.
Think about it. Next time you pray, write down what your prayer consists of. How much of it is "Me" focused instead of "HE" focused? We tend to pray for or seek the things that will best meet our needs of enable to get ahead in this world. Is that the true purpose? It is so easy to look back at those societies that firmly believed that the Earth was the center of it all, many, many years ago, and say "How silly they were." Yet today we don't necessarily look at the planet we occupy as the center of it, but we have no problem thinking WE are the center of it all. And until we truly begin to realize that God is the center, most powerful and most important thing of all, we will never fully become all we can be, live the lives God desires us to live, and truly impact the kingdom of God with all God has gifted us with.
So, next time you begin to huff and puff and even think about blowing someone's house down, all in the name of "It is all about me!", remember one very important thing. If it isn't all about God, it just isn't worth it, and you have totally missed the point.
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