July 13, 2025 – CountUp

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday July 13TH 2025, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord + Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

Last #SundayScripture I began transcribing my original sermon that I preached to my church family in Homestead Florida on Sunday October 16TH 2022. The title of the sermon is “Blessings & Benedictions”, and it’s my 50TH sermon as identified on my SERMONS page.

Here’s Part 2:

My old-school Webster’s Dictionary from many years ago defines “benediction” as follows: “a blessing”; “an invocation of divine blessing – usually at the end of a church service”.

The term “benediction” can also be used in a secular (or non-Christian) manner – to represent “something that promotes goodness or well-being”; “an expression of good wishes”.

I like to think of the Benediction as a short prayer for God’s blessings upon His people. (That’s us.) When I deliver the Benediction to you at the end of each service – I’m giving you – or rather I’m passing on to you – God’s blessings from Scripture – from His Good News. I don’t look at the Benediction as closing out a church service. Yes – it’s at the end of the service, but service for Christ – serving God and others – continues out there – on the other side of those front doors.

We must remember that we are the church. And we bring the church in here – into this building – into our home – on Sunday mornings at 11. So since we bring the church in here, and we are the church – we take it out there to share. So the Benediction is a blessing from God to share with our neighbor. I am sending you out into the world – in which we live – to share God’s blessings.

Going back to my previous church family just down the road from here – for several years I led the Benediction at the end of many of our services. We used the same exact Benediction each Sunday. It never changed. We weren’t allowed to change it. It was from the 14TH verse of the 19TH Psalm, and it was this:

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart – be acceptable in thy sight – O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

That’s actually the King James Version of that verse. As a young Christian – that didn’t make any sense to me. We were essentially a New Living Translation church, but for that Benediction – we used the King James Version. I didn’t understand that, and nobody could explain it to me. Early on I didn’t understand the verse – even though I led the church family in reciting it each week. I eventually figured it out by immersing myself into God’s Word. I decided that if I’m to recite something to a group of people – and they’re reciting it with me – then I need to know what it means.

This is what it means: We want to please God in everything we say and everything we think. We want to please Him with what we say – and what we don’t say. What we say flows from what is in our heart. Generally – what we take in through our eyes and through our ears – and treasure in our heart – will emerge through our mouth. We want to ensure that what comes out of our mouth – glorifies our Lord.

(To be continued next week.)

My testimony is featured each week here on #SundayScripture – whether it’s part of a sermon, a testimony, or just me writing about the events of the past week. Hopefully it encourages you and inspires you to seek the Lord – and get closer to Him with each new day.

If you wish to learn more about the God I know – then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.