I recently started a new book called Experiential Worship and ran across a quote that I think I've heard before, but had forgotten: "Worship is the one thing that we can give to God that He doesn't already have."
Wow! That's stinkin' cool...to think that we can actually give God a gift!
Ever since I read it, it's been bouncin' around in my head, and it feels as though someone has sprayed starter fluid into the carbeurator of my worship engine. I grew up hearing phrases in church like, "If you'll praise God, He'll show up" and, "There's something special that happens when we all come together to worship God." While I don't discredit those statements completely, there were times that I felt as though we were saying that we could somehow manipulate God to "show up" or that we could "stir up" something if everybody would just get into it.
It seems this quote has helped me to see the deeper beauty of worship again. God loves us so much that He has never and will never take away our power of choice. When we make the conscience decision to direct our worship to Him, it is His pleasure to "show up" and be with us. When we take inventory of our lives and recognize that no matter how much we accumulate, there's no real meaning to life without Him, and we choose to reach out to Him, He reaches back!
What an amazing truth it is...God made the sun, moon, and stars. He owns "the cattle on a thousand hills" (Ps. 50:10). "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" (Ps. 24:1). It's all His, but He doesn't have our worship unless we choose to give it to Him...He's already chosen us (How? Well, for one, He died on the cross for our sin...hello!). Now, He patiently waits for us to choose Him.
We don't, and can't, manipulate God, but He has made some promises to us that we can bank on: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8)..."For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20)..."The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth" (Ps. 145:18). When we choose to truly worship God, He's there because He wants to be, and He responds to us making the first move. As much as He wants to be with us, He won't impose...He's a respectable gentleman, and waits to be invited.
It's crazy cool...when you choose to give Him your worship, you get to be with Him (the all-powerful-massively-huge-God-of-the-universe). Then the more you get to be with Him, the more you wanna worship. What a beautiful upwards spiral it is! It becomes no longer just worshiping Him because it's your unique gift; you wanna do it because you've gotten to know Him, and who He is so incredible!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Guilt
I've been praying for a close friend of mine who is struggling with feelings of shame and guilt, and this Bible verse came to mind that I heard often growing up in church:
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
I couldn't count the number of times I've heard that verse or quoted it myself, but as I prayed, it hit me in a new way. It's the word "in" that got me. I think we are all prone to guilt, whether we profess faith in Christ or not, because deep down we know what's right and wrong..."the law written in their hearts." (Rom. 2:15) However, I think this passage offers clear hope to those who do believe that their past is no longer an issue.
So why do so many Christians still struggle with guilt? Granted, there is an enemy of our soul who constantly tries to remind of us of our mistakes to drag us down and hold us back from the future that God intends, and we must take up our shield of faith. But that word "in" really means something.
If you're a Christian, that means you've accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit now lives "inside" you. He helps you lead a better life, and you find fulfillment living and growing "in" Him. At some point, many Christians become stagnant in their growth, and suddenly find themselves fighting a constant battle against the memory of their failures. Read the verse again like this:
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
He might be in you, but are you in Him?
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
I couldn't count the number of times I've heard that verse or quoted it myself, but as I prayed, it hit me in a new way. It's the word "in" that got me. I think we are all prone to guilt, whether we profess faith in Christ or not, because deep down we know what's right and wrong..."the law written in their hearts." (Rom. 2:15) However, I think this passage offers clear hope to those who do believe that their past is no longer an issue.
So why do so many Christians still struggle with guilt? Granted, there is an enemy of our soul who constantly tries to remind of us of our mistakes to drag us down and hold us back from the future that God intends, and we must take up our shield of faith. But that word "in" really means something.
If you're a Christian, that means you've accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit now lives "inside" you. He helps you lead a better life, and you find fulfillment living and growing "in" Him. At some point, many Christians become stagnant in their growth, and suddenly find themselves fighting a constant battle against the memory of their failures. Read the verse again like this:
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
He might be in you, but are you in Him?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
