|PIC1|Hey friends... well, it has been a while, but I've been having an awesome time around the globe, taking the great love of God through worship and justice to some incredible places...

So many stories and sights have weighed down my soul, but in the midst of it all, the GRACE of God would have to be the story that is just captivating me at every moment...and I am ever grateful.

The story of grace IS the story of the cross... the story when love interjected the human crisis..... Here is HUMANITY trying to reconnect to God through the law... but it was impossible... and this indescribable love of Christ answered the cry of the planet, responding with God's finest... bringing REDEMPTION at every level.

How do you even attempt to describe life under a banner of grace...

There is so much grace for the needs of everything that is broken, such is the wonderful Love of God, that He would love enough to send Jesus...

FROM heaven to earth He came.... And then from earth to heaven, we live. LIVING a life in response to the great love of Christ is the goal...

In the seen and the unseen, in the small and big moments... in our imperfect state... covered by grace.

With our gifts, our talents, our desires, our time, our energy, our words, our loves, our focus...... our LIVES, and in our imperfect state, covered by grace.

Good times, hard times, with our fears and our failures, our successes and mountaintop experiences... and everything in between, in our imperfect state, covered by grace.

So then, the journey begins... we have encountered Jesus, and life gets terribly confronting as your heart starts to feel things it never felt before... you see things you've never seen, you hear conversations differently, things that never used to bug you now make you sick to your stomach... it is called 'JESUS LIVING IN YOU'.

And the living of your life as an offering, your earthly thank you begins... And the wonder of life in Christ captures your heart, soul, mind and strength like nothing else. Transformation takes up residency, as it is never over. And your awareness of the presence of the Lord is very real and at times completely overwhelming.

SO HOW DO WE RESPOND?? What is correct and fitting for a human being, trying to say thanks to the creator of heaven and earth... how do we say thanks for THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS... THE MESSAGE OF GRACE... A song hardly seems right.

But there are so many scriptures commanding us to sing and to make music, at least 41 of the psalms instruct us to sing... and as the only part of creation with a gift of self-initiated speech....that we can sing and speak by our free will... Giving glory to God is such an honour!

In 1st Chronicles 25...worship in music and song was established in the temple as highest priority, that the Lord's rule, presence and kingship would always be acknowledged first and foremost. This was even BEFORE grace had moved into the neighbourhood!

Ephesians 5 tells us to not walk as fools, and to MAKE sure our lives are filled with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs..... that we would be wise, and ever hungry for the reality of His presence.

The song of the heart has always been the song yearned for in heaven... commanded, continually encouraged through the scriptures as essential fuel for life. Worship, an absolute must if you want to live in truth, as continuing to be confronted with the presence and majesty of Christ leaves your heart open and hungry for the Spirit of God. And if you truly want to live with your life poured out.....

Well, Selah on this... in the Old Testament, the army always went into battle after the musicians and singers had prepared the way.

But there is SO much more to worship... our LIVES, poured out, WORSHIP in action... of premium importance to the heart of God... and as Jesus said, it was His greatest pleasure to do the will of the Father. To love and defend all that the Father treasures.

Love thy neighbour is not advice...it's a command. So it gets back to who is my neighbour.

THOSE IN YOU CIRCLE, THOSE YOU ENCOUNTER, OR ANYONE UNDER THE TITLE OF HUMANITY WHO IS BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION.

Isaiah 58 "DON'T BRING ME YOUR TRADITIONAL FORMS OF WORSHIP IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO CLOTHE THE NAKED AND FEED THE HUNRGY"

The word is always pretty straight up!! Our God is a God of purpose... Isaiah 61:11 "for as surely as the earth brings forth it's bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."

At the heart of both... WORSHIP IN MUSIC AND
WORSHIP IN ACTION, AT THE HEART OF BOTH IS DEVOTION...

WITHOUT THAT IN WORSHIP MUSIC... YOU only HAVE NOISE...

AND WITHOUT THAT IN ACTION, YOU only HAVE WORKS...

Faith without deeds is dead, but then again, the word says... Ephesians 2: 8-10 "For by GRACE have you been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it IS the gift of God, not of works, lest ANYMAN should boast."


SO, as I am again made aware of His grace as my failings are many... my earthly response is DEVOTION... with all my life, for all my days... I pray for each of you, and that you never take the grace of God for granted over your world...

Be strong... you were born for this season in history, love you,

DARLS


Darlene Zschech
Christian Today Columnist

Darlene Zschech is a renowned singer and songwriter, also the worship pastor of Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia. Her best known song "Shout to the Lord" is sung by an estimated 25-30 million churchgoers every week. In 2000, Darlene received a Dove Award nomination for 'Songwriter of the year' and has received the 'International Award' from GMA (Gospel Music Association). Darlene Zschech and her husband Mark are currently serving as executive directors of Mercy Ministries.