Tag Archives: worship

Who Is This Man?

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Who is this man, that even the wind and the waves obey him? (Matthew 8:27, Mark 4:41, Luke 8:25) Who is he indeed.

This is the same Jesus who just got done telling us how precious we are to him:

Like a treasure buried in a field. The finder sells everything he owns to buy the land to have the treasure. (Matthew 13:44)

Like a merchant who finds choice pearls and sells everything he has to buy them. (Matthew 13:45-46)

This same Jesus didn’t need to speak to the storm in order to calm it. He said the words for the benefit of his disciples… for me. He wanted us to know he is who he claims to be – God in the flesh.

And this same Jesus, seeing me as a precious treasure, a priceless pearl, gave up everything to come to earth to die. (Philippians 2:5-8) That was the price he was willing to pay for me.

Who is this man? He is my Savior, my Lord, my Advocate, my Friend, my High Priest, my God. I don’t know why he loves me so. But I am very glad he does.

I stand before him amazed and humbled, adoring him. He can calm a storm. He can even save the likes of me.

Dear Jesus, thank you for loving me, for dying for me, for buying my forgiveness with your blood. You. God. Did that for me. I’m sorry for sin in my life. I accept your grace, your cleansing. May this precious pearl live a life that shows you how much I love you, how much I appreciate what you sacrificed to make me one of your own.

Why we do what we do.

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God asked the Jews an important question:

During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and mourned in the summer and early autumn, was it really for me that you were fasting? And even now in your holy festivals, aren’t you eating and drinking just to please yourself? (Zechariah 7:5&6)

It’s an honest question I think each of us need to consider for ourselves.

If I attend church services for a “worship experience”, who is the focus? Does God need the experience? Or do I? If I read my Bible, is it so I can feel good about my faithfulness?

I knew a woman who felt she had to take part in a communion service every Sunday because if she didn’t, she would have a terrible week.

If I blog, is it to be complimented on my post? I have to confess I like to see icons of people who “like” what I say. Is that what motivates me to hit “publish” each time?

If you listen to people like Joel Osteen you will likely begin to believe worship is about you, that following God is about you, that life is about you. Is it? Is it really?

Or is it about God?

Zechariah has a lot to say to us today. And he says something in 8:23 that I believe sums up why we worship, why we live lives set apart from the world, why we are kinder, more loving and forgiving, more honest than our unsaved neighbor. He talks about people from every nation going to Jerusalem to worship God. He says ten people will cling to the sleeve of one Jew and say:

Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.

That’s our commission as Christians. All that we do, all that we say and are, is surrendered to God for one reason. Not so that we are blessed. But so that others are lead to the Savior.

That should be why we do what we do.

Heavenly Father, I want my worship to be pleasing to you, whether sitting in a pew on Sunday, or reading my Bible in my home, whether singing hymns in my car, or praying while talking to my neighbor over coffee. Forgive me for the tendency to make it about me. May the result of my worship of you in spirit and in truth cause people to want to get to know my Savior. I want my motivation to be you. I want my focus to be you. I want my life to be pleasing to you alone. 

It’s All About Jesus

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2 Samuel tells us that the nation of Israel was divided. David was king over Judah and Saul’s son Isbosheth was king of Israel. It’s sad to note that there was war between the two. I wonder what the other nations thought when they saw God’s people fighting among themselves. 

I am one who is not bothered by the fact that the Christian Church is divided into denominations. If a group finds it necessary to get excited and speak in tongues, or insists on baptism, or takes communion every Sunday I’m ok with that. The question is – is Jesus proclaimed as God, as the Savior? Is he worshiped as the Way, the Truth, the LIfe, and the only way to the Father? Is sin recognized and rejected in an act of repentance? Is God’s grace embraced when we allow Jesus to wash us with his precious blood?

If Jesus is the focus of the church, we should not be fighting with each other. I attended the sunrise service at the pier on the ocean this morning and worshiped the risen Savior with several hundred other people from many denominations. It’s a bit like I imagine heaven to be. Our differences will be put aside when we gaze into the eyes of the One who loves us and gave himself for us.

Jesus!

Crucified!

Alive!

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Get Rid of It?

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In I Samuel we read that the Philistines captured the Ark of the Lord and took it to their temple. They placed the Ark next to the statue of their god, Dagon. During the night, God pushed the idol over and the next day the people put the idol back where it was. That night, God did the same thing and in the morning the people found Dagon face down again. This was no coincidence.

When the Philistines began to break out in an epidemic of tumors, they had a choice to make. Faced with the reality that the God of Israel was real and powerful they said, “We can’t keep the Ark of the God of Israel here any longer. He’s against us! We will all be destroyed along with Dagon, our god.”

That’s just sad.

Here they were in the presence of God himself and their answer was, get Him out of here. They had to admit that their god was powerless, yet they decided to cling to that worthless carving.

Why didn’t they bow before the One True God and destroy the idol themselves? Why did they cling to it instead of turning to the Living God who was trying to get their attention? Why did they decide to get rid of the Ark?

Oh God, I see America 2014 in this story.

When the facts show that God has blessed America while we were a nation that honored him, and when those same facts reveal that he cannot bless us when we turn our backs on him, why don’t we bow before him and turn from our worthless idols of self, of science, of intellect, of power, things as worthless and meaningless as Dagon?

We’re doing the same thing the Philistines did. Get rid of God. Take him out of schools, Label Christians “haters”. Remove the 10 Commandments from our courtroom walls. Legislate laws that contradict God’s Word. Tolerate all faiths and differences. Pay homage to a god of love at the exclusion of his holiness. Don’t talk about Jesus. Deny the existence of God.

That’s not just sad. It’s serious.

Dear God, I pray you will raise up Christian men and women who will get involved in our political system and reclaim America as a nation under God. Forgive us for sitting back and allowing ungodly people slowly expel you from our country. May your children pray, speak out, stand up against Satan and his pawns. I pray for a mighty revival in the hearts of each of us who call the US home. Don’t go, God. Please don’t go.

December 14

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Colossians 

I grew up singing and loving A.B. Simpson hymns. Yes, I know the melodies are often difficult to sing and, as a church organist, I also know chord progressions are tricky. But Dr. Simpson packed so much truth into those hymns.

One of those hymns is based on Colossians 1:27 where Paul is once again writing about the mystery that had been kept hidden for ages. The inclusion of Gentiles into what had been a Jewish religion was accomplished because of Jesus. And because Jesus lives, he lives inside believers of every nationality.

Do you believe Jesus is able to do that? Paul identifies Jesus as God in the flesh. Look at the first chapter of Colossians and meet Jesus. In 2:9 Paul tells us “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form”. Yes, Jesus is God and in 3:4 Paul calls Christ “your life”. Not just a part of my life. My life, my existence, my everything.

Here is what Dr. Simpson wrote in his hymn, “Christ in Me”:

This is my wonderful story – Christ to my heart has come;
Jesus, the King of glory, Finds in my heart a home.

I am so glad I received Him, Jesus, my heart’s dear King;
I who so often have grieved Him, All to His feet would bring.

Now in His bosom confiding, This my glad song shall be:
I am in Jesus abiding. Jesus abides in me.

Christ in me, Christ in me. Christ in me – Oh, wonderful story.
Christ in me, Christ in me. Christ in me, the hope of glory.

I am so grateful that the God of Creation lives in me. My prayer is that as one of his chosen, I will clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (3:12) I will forgive as the Lord forgave me. (3:13) And over all, put on love. (3:14)

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”. (3:17)

September 22

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Psalms 121, 122, 123, 128, 130, 134, 135, 136

These psalms remind us how good God is. They are psalms of praise to the One True God, maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 136 reminds us “His love endures forever”. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. 

But his love doesn’t cancel out his holiness.

Sometimes I think we in 2013 mistake God’s love for his forgiveness, his acceptance. Psalm 130:4 says:

But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

It doesn’t say with you there is forgiveness, therefore I can live like I want to and you are ok with it because you love me so much. Not only do these psalms speak of God’s blessings, they also remind us God is to be feared.

123:2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hands of their masters…

128:1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways.

1135:20 You who fear him, praise the Lord.

Do you fear the Lord? If you really did you might not have said what you said yesterday. You might not have gone where you did or laughed at what you laughed at. You might not think those impure thoughts or harbor hatred toward someone.

Do you fear the Lord? What does that look like in your life? God loved you so much he died for you to pay the penalty for the sins you commit. It’s because of him you can stand before him, wearing his righteousness, cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. 

Are you afraid to dishonor him, to disappoint him? Do you recognize his holiness and fall on your knees before him? God loves you. God so loved the world. But don’t mistake his love for permission. Blessed are those who fear him, who obey him, who serve him.

Holy God, may we view sin as seriously as you do. May we recognize your holiness and tremble at the thought of disobeying you. Thank you for your great love that sent Jesus to Calvary. I want to live my life out of gratitude for your grace. Help me to never take your love for granted but to serve you, to fear you, to love you as you deserve to be loved.

September 1

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Ezekiel 47:1-48:35, 29:17-30:19

You remember the story of Moses and the Israelites who, when dying of thirst in the desert, were saved when water came rushing out of a rock. When Jesus met the woman at the well he told her that if she drank the Living Water she would never thirst again.

Here in Ezekiel’s vision we see water again as an example of God’s provision. The man who took Ezekiel through this vision told about the water that flows into the sea and makes the salt water fresh.

How has God’s Presence in your life – in mine- changed us? Do we still thirst for worldly pleasure and gain? Or have we allowed Jesus to fill and satisfy every longing?

Do we still hold on to the behaviors of our past or have we allowed God to transform us into something sweet and useful for the kingdom? God has the power to change even the saltiest among us.

As you go to church today, I pray you will go knowing you are worshiping the Living Water. May he fill you to overflowing and cause you to bear fruit. 

And may you never thirst again for anything other than more of him!

August 31

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Ezekiel 44-46

There was nothing casual about worship in the Old Testament. As I read more of Ezekiel’s vision I am struck by the lengths to which the priests were to go to ready themselves for doing their jobs.

Now I don’t want this to be an excuse for me to stand on a soap box and rant about worship styles (although I do have strong convictions). And I really don’t think this portion of scripture is evidence that women should wear skirts and men suits and ties when they go to church.

To be consistent with my belief that the flesh and blood, brick and mortar examples we read in the Old Testament parallel the spiritual truths we hold true after the cross, I have to ask myself what God would say to his church in 2013 through Ezekiel’s vision.

Is God convicting me about my own casual approach to worship? How much time do I spend preparing myself for entering his house and hearing what he wants to say to me through his servant? I’m not talking about the time spent in front of the mirror, although I don’t apologize for wanting to present a respectful appearance.

I’m talking about the time I spend on my knees, confessing sin, preparing my heart. When I walk through those doors tomorrow I want to walk in there with a clear purpose, focus, with a circumcised heart, ready and eager to worship a holy God and learn what he wants me to know.

I can’t go to church with sin in my life and expect God to speak to me or accept my worship. So, tomorrow when I am putting on clean clothes and brushing mascara on my eyes, I want to be sure my heart is prepared, too. 

The Old Testament priests took time and effort to get ready to go into their worship services. Let that be a lesson for me, too.

Dear God, tomorrow is the day many of us will go to a gathering of believers to worship you. May we go with sins confessed, hearts that are yours, and an eagerness to hear what you would say to each of us. May our time spent within the walls of our churches draw us closer to you and strengthen us to do the work you have for us to do. I pray for your servants – pastors and teachers. May they share your Word in truth. Bless their times of preparation and speak to our hearts through them. Thank you for the privilege we still have in the United States to gather publicly. May our worship be pleasing to you.

July 21

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Isaiah 56-60

If you’ve ever been involved in the running of a church you know how complicated it can be. Sometimes a pastor displays unyielding power or an elder refuses to back down. Sometimes gossip causes ill will or opposition over worship causes division.

Hopefully, a worship service doesn’t end in a fist fight like Isaiah’s day of fasting in 58:3&4. But any time people try to work together there usually is a difference in opinion somewhere.

The other day I talked to a dear one whose father recently gave his heart to the Lord. The man wants to be a Christian but he doesn’t want to go to church because of the hypocrites there.

The thing is, Christians aren’t perfect even though we might want others to believe we are. If we’re honest we’d have to admit we sometimes stumble in our walk with the Lord.

What does God want to say to us through Isaiah today? God doesn’t want us just going through the motions. He wants us to humble ourselves, then get out there and make a difference. Feed the hungry. Clothe the poor. Be that light in a dark world.

As you worship today in that fellowship of believers, I pray you will lay aside the conflict and turn your eyes on Jesus. That’s where our focus should be anyway. Then get out there and live like you mean it so no one can point a finger and call you a hypocrite.

June 30

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Isaiah 7:1-10:4, 17:1-14

Isaiah has some bad news for the flesh and blood kingdom of Israel. Their days are numbered. They will acknowledge God and fear him once again but it will be under some pretty awful circumstances.

Then Isaiah introduces them to Jesus. 9:6&7 promise the King who will sit on David’s throne and reign forever. Isaiah continues to talk to them about God’s wrath which will come to them. But the seed has been planted. Jesus is coming.

As I look for a spiritual application from today’s scripture I am reminded that no matter how bad things get in this lifetime, we who live after the cross realize the precious Truth in the titles Isaiah gives the Savior. Wonderful Counselor! Mighty God! Everlasting Father! Prince of Peace! And he shall reign forever and ever. (Thank you Handel for the beautiful music running through my head this morning)

There is no one like Jesus. There is no God like our Heavenly Father. There is no peace like that which comes from knowing Him as Savior.

I hope you go to church today where Jesus is proclaimed as God in human form, Savior of the world. Let’s just stop and worship God today in all his holiness and splendor. Let’s praise Jesus!