Carrisa's World

Psalm 89:15-16 (Msg)
Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,
who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.
[16] Delighted, they dance all day long; they know
who you are, what you do—they can't keep it quiet!

Carissa comes with friends to New Hope. A lot of times we'll see children come quite a bit before their parents will. Our job then is to love the kids and share Jesus with them. There are times when our folks working with them come out shell-shocked. Imagine getting a bunch of boys to calm down long enough to tell them a Bible story. Or just try getting a group of little girls to focus for an hour.. for 30 minutes... just try.

High energy? You betcha!

Harnessing all that energy and redirecting it into an understanding of God's love and an expression of it in worship is what the goal is. And there are times when it happens, and we catch a glimpse of God at work.

A couple of weeks ago, the girl's praise team combined with our choir to present a special song for worship. You should have seen it! The whole front row of the choir was filled with little girls, the whole back row with adults. Carissa took up her position on the far left-hand side.

It was a great song, that really moved people toward God - His character, His nature - His love. Most of the adults were concentrating on getting the notes just right, and had their heads in their songbooks, with occasional glances toward the director. The girls had memorized their parts, and were free to worship.

No one was more free that day than Carissa.

When they reached the chorus, her face broke into a dazzling smile, and she began to boogie! She just got carried away. I know by Who. For a few moments, Carissa stepped across into communion with the Spirit of God, and left this world behind.

You can go there too.

The password is "Thank You!". It's your entrance into the world of worship.

Psalm 100:4-5 (Msg)
Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

[5] For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.

Forget about yourself, and focus on the God Who wants to meet with you. See His beauty, His grace, His love for you. You'll quickly forget about everything except pleasing Him, and rejoicing in His arms.

Just be careful... in Carissa's world, you can't help but dance.

It's good practice for heaven.

Grace!

David Wilson

This devotional is written by David Wilson, pastor of New Hope Baptist church in Valparaiso, FL. If you find you have received this via a forward and would like to receive it regularly, or find you no longer wish to receive it, drop me an email at dwilsonfl@earthlink.net and I'll make the change to the list. If you'd like to know more about New Hope, visit our website at www.newhopevalp.org . May God bless you.