Tag Archives: worship

Jan 26 – I Bow Down

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Genesis 41-42

It was a famine that brought Joseph’s brothers to him. They were desperate for food, and went to Egypt to buy grain from Pharaoh’s right-hand man. And, just like in Joseph’s dreams, he was that man to whom his brothers bowed.

Sometimes it takes a famine to force us to our knees, too. Sometimes God uses heartache, disease, loneliness, guilt, helplessness, to give us a chance to realize our need, and recognize He is the only One who can fill us.

Jesus said He is the Bread of Life, the Living Water. When we bow down to Him, when we empty ourselves of pride, and dreams, and relationships, and popularity, and self – He gives us exactly what we need.

In fact, He gives us more than we can ask or think. He gives Himself.

I bow down.

My Heart

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Earlier this year a friend of mine posted a picture on FaceBook of her twenty-something son, standing on the beach, a beautiful sunset behind him, looking lovingly into the eyes of another young man. Below the picture she had written, “Comments welcomed.”

My heart broke as I remembered her son who had been a student of mine in middle school. A quiet, shy, nice boy. A really good boy from a good family.

One of the comments I read said, “The heart wants what the heart wants.” And it made me think of Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things.

There is nothing in our hearts that want to obey God’s Law until that heart is given to God. Without a repentant heart we are self serving, ego driven, self centered people looking out for number one. Like Muslims who obey Allah so they’ll be surrounded by virgins when they die, or Christians who go to church for a worship experience.

A true believer obeys God for Jesus’ sake. They go to church, resist sin, share the Gospel, not for what they gain, but because they just love Jesus so much they can’t help themselves. They don’t go to church to be entertained or to avoid hell. They go to church to give God the worship due Him.

Scripture tells me to guard my heart. And the best way I know how to do that is to give it to God. Take myself, my control, my desires, out of the picture. I want to love Him like He deserves to be loved, serve Him like He demands, fellowship with him through prayer and reading His Word like he longs for me to do, and share Him with those who don’t know Him because he died for them.

Here’s my heart Lord. Guard it. Use it. Take it. Keep it beating or don’t. It’s Yours. For Jesus’ sake.

If you say it often enough…

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Saying something doesn’t automatically make it true. In Acts 19 we see that during a riot, the city clerk stood up and said:

“Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of Ephesus is temple guardian of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Zeus? Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly.” (NKJV)

Is it a fact that some god named Zeus fashioned a statue in the clouds and dropped it in Ephesus? Is that what the city clerk said cannot be denied? Do you believe that to be true?

How often have you heard the earth is billions of years old stated as a fact that can’t be denied? What about the statement that life does not begin at conception? Or that homosexuality is a viable lifestyle? Have you heard it is possible to change your gender stated as fact? Or that marriage isn’t restricted to a union between a man and a woman? Some people even preach God is a god of love and accepts all of us just the way we are.

And they keep saying it, and saying it, and saying it.

The sad truth is, if you tell someone something often enough, very often they’ll begin to believe it.

But I’m here to tell you I can certainly deny that city clerk’s story about the statue. I know for a fact that the earth is thousands, not millions of years old, that there is nothing normal about homosexuality, and abortion is murder. I stand on the truth that God is not only a God of love, he is Holy and demands holiness of his children.

And none of that is true just because I say it is.

I’ve read the Bible from cover to cover several times. And each time I do, the more I realize I cannot deny it is true. It has so many checks and balances. This book, written by many writers over many years, clearly presents God as Creator, Almighty, True, a God who loves each and every one of us, a God who demands our obedience and deserves our worship.

In its pages we see Him proving He is who He says He is. And not just once. He chose the physical nation of Israel, and then the Church, to show us exactly what he expects, the consequences of disobedience, the blessings of faith in Him, and the grace that is ours through Jesus. You have to admit that the fulfilling of so many prophesies is hard to deny. Who else but God could bring that about?

I have learned to check what I am hearing with what is written in God’s Word. The voice of Satan is loud and repetitive. And if I’m not carefully guarding my heart, I might begin to assume he’s telling the truth.

Dear one, let’s determine to depend on God’s Word to be our plumb line. Let’s allow God to be the Cornerstone from which everything is measured. Don’t fall for “popular opinion” or you might start believing a statue fell from heaven…

Ingratitude

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Ingratitude. That’s what Hiram expressed when King Solomon gave him twenty cities. (I Kings 9) Sure, Hiram had worked hard for Solomon for twenty years building the Temple and the Palace. But Solomon also made Hiram a rich man in the process. And gave him twenty cities on top of it. Hiram just wasn’t happy with the particular cities he was given. He thought he was entitled to something else.

Does ingratitude ever express itself in our own lives? God gives us life, we want health. God gives us forgiveness, we want happiness. God gives us eternal life, we want a successful career. God gives us Himself, we want a Ferrari.

Have you grasped exactly what it is that God has given you? What it cost him? What it means? If you know Jesus as your Savior, you have God Himself living in you! You have the promise of eternity in paradise, You have help for today, and hope for tomorrow. You are forgiven, washed clean, pure. You are loved.

Let’s never take any of this for granted or be ungrateful for God’s blessings. We already have more than we deserve.

Dear God, “thank you” just doesn’t seem sufficient to express what I am feeling this morning. I can’t fully comprehend the extent of your blessings to me, a sinner. Forgive me when I seem ungrateful, when I whine to you about insignificant things, when I pout if I don’t get what I think I need. I know you want me to bring my desires to you in prayer, and I thank you for the times you have answered those prayers. But, God, help me to really grasp what it is I have in YOU. May I live my life out of a grateful heart, cherishing every blessing I have because you are my God. You are all I need. You are all I desire.

Changed?

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The New King James version of the Bible says that after he had talked to Samuel, Saul left there another man. God gave him a changed heart. (I Samuel 10)

That’s as it should be. Reading God’s Word should change us, too. Hearing God’s Word proclaimed from a pulpit should change us. Did you leave church yesterday a different person? Did I?

It’s Monday morning. Can you even remember what the pastor spoke about yesterday morning? If not, why not? Was it because our hearts weren’t prepared to hear from God? Were we too busy to pray before we walked through those doors? Was it because our minds were on other things? Did our thoughts wander? Did we allow our children to distract us? Are we harboring sin?

Sometimes I read the Bible and write in my journal, then half way through the day can’t remember what I thought I’d learned. What a waste of God’s resources. Here I have God’s Word in my hands. I’m free to worship him and hear teaching from his Word every Sunday. I have this treasure at my fingertips, but too often squander it away.

Father, forgive me. I want to allow you to change me every time I read or hear your Word. I don’t want to miss anything that would encourage me, strengthen me, convict me, change me into a woman who radiates You. Help me to change into a person more like you every time I open your Word or have the privilege of hearing a sermon from your Word. I don’t want to miss any opportunity to draw closer to you.

Our God is a Devouring Fire

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Fire fascinated my dad. When we were little girls, our family would drop everything and jump in the car almost every time we heard the fire trucks’ sirens. We’d search the sky for smoke and rush to the scene to watch the brave firemen battle the dangerous blazes.

Fire takes on a life of its own as it devours its prey. I remember watching a garage burn a block away from our home. A big department store and a lumber company both burned while we watched from safe distances. I can almost hear the snap crackle of the burning wood, smell the acrid odor of smoking embers, feel the heat from dancing flames.

Hebrews 11 lists men and women of faith, people who believed God, and looked to him in spite of circumstances. Then Hebrews 12 begins with the word, “Therefore” and challenges us to have the same kind of faith as those listed in chapter 11, because God has proven himself to be faithful. The writer points us to God’s spiritual kingdom, as sure and real as the physical city of Jerusalem. But now God promises that one day, we who know him will live with him, while the rest of creation will be removed.

Hebrews 12:28 says, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.” It’s followed by verse 29, a verse that jumped out at me as I read this morning: “For our God is a devouring fire.” (NLT)

Fire is welcome at a campsite, melting marshmallows for s’mores, heating hotdogs, warming fingers and toes. But campers know to enjoy the fire with fear and awe, knowing fire can also unleash its destructive power.

Those of us who know Jesus as our Savior can enjoy God like a camper by a fire pit. We benefit from God’s very being, we enjoy his fellowship, we are safe in his presence. But we must not take his power too lightly, or misuse his blessings. We must not forget that he is that devouring fire. That’s where worshiping him with holy fear and awe comes into play.

My prayer is that all who read this blog will know the warmth, the peace, the safety God provides to those who call on the name of Jesus. The alternative is frightening. Those who reject the Savior will only know the devouring fire of his wrath, his anger and punishment, and be separated from him forever.

May we worship God with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.

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.