And unlike the Sundae dessert, it doesn't add pounds to your backside :)

I just got out of the shower singing Fill My Cup Lord. I am filled with praise these days and it feels "heavenly"

There are millions in this world who are craving
The pleasures earthly things afford;
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.

Excellent one Mike!  However, I'm thinking that you left out the part about how it took a few decades for the Lord to get you there.  :-)  Well...that's what it took for me anyway! :-D You said, "in recent years" so I'm thinking you've had the same adventure I have!  :-D 

There is just so much renewal of mind that really has to take place!  We have to come to any public meeting--even here--already present to the Lord.  It begins there!  We have to get to the place we really have submitted to him as Lord (and not just give mental assent to the fact); we have to see our self as being the temple of God (rather than any building we are meeting in); and we have to see ourselves as actually being members of one body and of one another--we are the physical body of Christ on the earth.

But--in my life--the most important thing of all is to have come to the understanding that "worship" [and I know I pointed this out in another of your blogs so forgive me for repeating myself!] isn't primarily associated with music.  In fact, if you look up every scripture with the word in it you will never see it defined in that context.  It is, and always has been, the offering of one's self without any reservations, exclusively to God.  Of course our "praise" services are a place where we do "worship" God, and the singers sing, and the musicians played.

I bring this up because it was one of the major things that helped me get beyond what I saw other Christians doing or not doing when we were assembled to "worship."  At the same time I see that we, as a Christian culture, have redefined the meaning of the word.  The redefinition allows it to be something that is relegated to particular place and time while the worship in spirit and truth that Jesus speaks to is not associated with a physical place; but must be in Spirit and truth.  And, by the way, it was the Father who was seeking such to worship him Jesus tells us.

Thanks for the wonderful blog...this is just my verbose "Amen!"  :-)

Craig

We are blessed to be able to partake of such a rich dessert too!! lol Thank you friends!

Craig - no apologies necessary, brother. And yes, I only "hinted" at the decades it took, lol. Regarding your thoughts on worship, I completely agree. See my very 1st blog ever!! (linked on my profile page!)

LOL... you crack me up Mike! 

AWESOME way to say it!!

Revelation from the Lord is a wonderful thing.

And even more awesome....

we can enter His gates 24/7

Awesome! Lord, fill our hearts with praises unto You.

You could make a fortune by inventing your own calendar, Sherlock! (And then you can take care of your mommy & daddy for the rest of our lives! lol) btw, that was the awesomest, bestest, superest comment anyone has ever left me! :-D

I completely agree with your thinking, Mike.  This very closely describes my inner thoughts about this very special day... and the days that lead up to it.  Blessings!

Penny, I am so glad this spoke to your spirit. Thank you for your comment! I see you have completely bought into the metaphor... :)  (nibbling appetizers, coming together for the main meal)

Dianne, pleased to see your comment, sister!

Tonya, I always knew we had some key things in common. I'll bet there are plenty more. In fact, I know so!

Greetings Mike and Laura, I am a non-denominational believer and follower of the risen Christ and an independent, self-funded  Missionary here in the United States. The messages I share with other believers are not to condemn or criticize any belief they may have embraced, not to promote any of the dogma of the myriad of Christian cults and religions, nor to intentionally cause anyone to ever feel offended. We are all on different parts of the Christian path, and as we grow in faith, the Holy Spirit will teach us all things that pertain to the Word. This is what is so wonderful about choosing to "follow" the risen Christ, which teaches us how to receive and apply the "Fruits of the Holy Spirit" in our daily walk.

Before I wrote this reply, I prayed what I should write to you and asked the Spirit to guide me to the verses I needed to share with you. I fully support the New Testament teachings about the vital importance of the brothers and sisters in the Lord gathering together to share God's Word, to pray together and to worhsip God in Spirit and in Truth. However, the Spirit led me to and reminded me of a marvelous revelation about the real meaning of worship and how we will be able to show a Christlike love everyday to those in a dark and fallen world.  It is not what we say that will show the Love of God to people. It is what we "do". The Apostle James said it so well in James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. It's not what we say or how we act on "Sundays" that show people "Who" God is. It's what we say and do 24/7/365 that will show the world the Love of God. And how is it possible for us to be able to do that? We are "Able", because the Spirit of God, which is also the Spirit of the risen Christ, dwells in us. We worship an "In There" God, not an "Out There" God. Agree? By having the very life, substance or ascended body of the risen Christ living in us, makes it possible for us to be in a praise and worship state of mind and heart everyday. I think the Apostle Paul summed it up so well:

1Co 3:16 ¶ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. And again in this chapter:  1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Our bodies are the temple. God wants us to be "In Church" seven days a week, 24/7/365. Not just on...Sunday.The Apostle Paul who was a Jewish convert - (also called a Messianic Jew),  received the final gospel from the risen and ascended Christ, to share with God's children in the time period or "day" AFTER Jesus died in the flesh, resurrected from the dead and ascended into the heavenly realm. This is the meaning of the phrase the Lord's Day. I thought it was the Scriptural reference to Sunday, because that is what I was taught growing up in the various churches I attended and held "membership" in. This phrase was not used during the time of Jesus's Earthly ministry. That is why you will  not find any verses in the transitional gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) that use this phrase. The Spirit revealed to me that the beloved Apostle John, the author of the the book of Revelation, who also wrote about Jesus' earthly ministry, used these words in the final book of Revelation, to delineate the events that occurred AFTER Jesus' ascension, so that the reader would have a reference point and not be confused in thinking that these events occurred DURING Jesus' earthly life. They do not have any reference to any day of the week...especially, Sunday. This is the only verse in the entire New Testament that uses this phrase, because the writings of John were given to him in a vision by the risen and ascended Christ - not the Jesus in the flesh during his earthly ministry.

Revelation1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
 11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

After this was revealed to me, using the Strong's Greek Lexicon and studying the Interlinear Scriptures, this led me to do a study on several other questions I had pondered over the last twenty-five years regarding the Sabbath commandment and its references throughout the Old and New Testaments. I was particularly interested in the references of the Sabbath that Jesus of Nazareth kept holy in his earthly ministry , and also the affirmations of the Sabbath that ALL of the Apostles, Messianic Jews and Gentile converts kept holy, including the Apostle Paul, AFTER Christ had ascended. If you study every reference to the word Sabbath in the New Testament, you will find that it is the seventh day of the week, not the first. If you look at a monthly calendar, Sunday is the first day of the week, not the seventh. I contacted a Messianic Jewish Rabbi and asked him if these revelations were of the Holy Spirit or not and this is what he told me. "Jesus Christ and all of His disciples and Apostles were Jews. They kept the seventh day Sabbath commandment holy that was given to Moses by God. Paul and the Apostles kept the seventh day Sabbath commandment holy as well. Jesus told us to keep His Father's commandments holy, like he kept holy." Isn't it just like Satan to subtly get us to break God's commandments? He certainly had me deceived. Now, I keep the seventh day Sabbath holy, but I worship God seven days of the week.  That means, I go to the Christian churches on Sunday, but I keep the Jewish Sabbath holy. It is also interesting to note that during the times of Jesus' earthly ministry and after His ascension, the day was reckoned from sunset to sunset. Therefore, the Sabbath that Jesus, His Apostles, and all Gentile converts kept holy was from Friday night sunset to Saturday night sunset.  The Pope changed the way we reckon the days and he changed the Sabbath to Sunday. Didn't Jesus, Paul and John warn us about the deceptions? The pagans and the heathens worship the Sun, just like the Samaritans did. I ask that you and whoever reads this will pray and ask God to reveal the truth to them of all things, and that His glorious Light would expose all deceptions and lies. I will be praying for you both. The Messenger