Worship…It’s Not about Us!
Father, as our schedule becomes more and more full, I would ask for Your continued guidance and wisdom in all we do. We are limited, but You are almighty! Guide us, oh, thou great Jehovah! Amen!
1 Corinthians 14:26-33 (<<click here to read the passage)
When we think of worship, our minds tell us that it is supposed to be about God. The thing is, though, more often than not, for many, it’s about us. It’s about how worship makes us feel. How often do we change churches because the music isn’t to our taste or the preacher isn’t tickling our ears?
The Apostle Paul, in his instruction to young Timothy, said,
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold, and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable]. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 AMP
Ouch…
Worship is not about pleasing ourselves but God. We are to praise Him and His many attributes out of our immense gratitude for His mercy and grace that is freely extended to us. The sacrifices made on His part provide our only hope of salvation.
But I want to stress that part of our worship involves us. We worship God, but what we do in worship must be beneficial to the worshippers, as well. Every worshipper ought to consider himself or herself a contributor. These principles touch every aspect – singing, preaching, and the exercise of spiritual gifts. Contributions to the service (by singing, speaking, reading, praying, playing instruments, giving) must have love as their chief motivation.
I truly believe that loving others is another way to praise our Maker! When we love others, we are emulating Him! The Apostle John in 1 John 4:16, tells us,
We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him. AMP (emphasis mine)
So, my challenge to you, and myself for that matter, is as we prepare to lead or participate in worship, we must also seek to strengthen the faith of other believers! *
Lord Jesus, as we expose ourselves to worship, may our love for You and others be apparent. May we do our best to edify the Church and its Head! Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Jan 21st, 2024, Sun, 6:16 pm
College Collage – Part 2
Father, I would ask for Your steadying hand as we move through some transitional territory. Give us wisdom in all of our decisions. All praise to You, our Great Shepherd!
********
There were just a few more pieces and parts that I thought would be good for an additional time of writing from my baggie of inspirational quips.
One thing I placed on a level of high importance was who I would date. I dated some very nice ladies in high school but didn’t date a whole lot. It was a point of prayer for me. At that age, we don’t always make the best of decisions. One thing I did know was that, as Proverbs 28:26 states,
“He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.”
My relationship with God was of utmost importance, and I focused on trying to maintain that relationship. At the time, the Church of the Nazarene put out a devotional called Come Ye Apart, and I posted a quote amongst my collection at my desk. It read, “People and nations, like trees, are destroyed from the inside.”
With all my heart, I desired to be in the center of God’s will for my life. I strived to make sure the core of my being was strong, being focused on the Lord and His guidance in my life.
In the fall of 1982, a beautiful young lady joined the college choir as a freshman. That’s where we met, but she also cut hair, having studied cosmetology to work her way through school. She was kind enough to cut mine for me. We started dating in the spring of ’83.
God knew what would be. We both trusted Him with our lives. He knew that with my wonderful and talented helpmate, Karen, we would accomplish many things for His Kingdom. We have and continue to do so.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 states,
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him.”
We have been there for each other through all the ups and downs of our 37+ years of marriage. I am grateful for his guidance and direction through it all.
All in all, as the B.C. comic so aptly communicated, we have given ourselves to the Babe in the manger and are privileged to be part of the distribution of the Bread of Life to those with whom we have contact. May the Lord continue to use us as He sees fit. May our impact be not just for the here and now but for all eternity. Amen!
Jan 18th, 2024, Thurs, 1:04 pm
College Collage – Part 1
We’ve had another day at home with bitter temperatures, but thank You, Father, for the blessings of a warm home and no need to be out in it. Bless this time to the furthering of Your Kingdom. Amen.
********
In cleaning out files today, I came across a baggie of things I had on the wall in front of my desk in college. Some are comics clipped from the newspaper – The Wizard of Id, B.C., and Dennis the Menace. Two are from a Ziggy calendar I had. There are a couple of cartoons from other places (I don’t remember where 40 years later!) And then, there were several passages of Scripture that I had written out with a calligraphy pen.
Some were just for fun, but interestingly, a couple pointed out things that were yet to come in the Lord’s plan for my life. I was studying to be a minister of music, so The Wizard of Id cartoon made me laugh, speaking “less attendance” because of “Mrs. O’Leary in the choir” being “the devil’s work.” Another cartoon referenced a “great children’s church program.” I had no idea that the Lord would lead me to serve full-time in that capacity of ministry for several years.* Then, an additional cartoon focuses on a man from a church speaking to a man in a body cast, stating, “We hope this hasn’t soured you on bus ministry and little children.” And here today, I love the blessing I have to have a “bus ministry,” per se, with “little children”!
God saw what I could not see. But as the passage from Proverbs 16:9 says,
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
I am grateful that God chose to use me in multiple capacities, even with my stumbling and bumbling. Proverbs 16:3 applies,
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
At that point in my life, the early 1980s, I was doing everything I knew to do to ready myself for devoting my life to ministry, but the truth of Proverbs 21:31 speaks loud and clear.
“The horse is made ready for battle, but victory rests with the Lord.”
And only because of the Lord’s direction in my life could I have brought to pass Proverbs 20:5,
“The purpose of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.”
My path is set, the journey continues ahead of me, and my eye is on the prize (Philippians 3:14).
*This picture I discovered while scanning was from 10 years later,
but it was still before I had even thought about children’s ministry.
Jan 17th, 2024, Wed, 3:39 pm (Part 1)
Lift the Church…It’s Not About Us
Surprise! Another snow day. We’ve been busy, but there is more yet to accomplish. Guide my thoughts in my time with You, Father, and I pray for safety on our travels. Amen.
1 Corinthians 14:1-25 (<<click here to read the passage)
I think that it’s interesting that some are drawn to things that benefit those around us or the world as a whole, and others are drawn to what benefits themselves. As I ponder that, it seems that the entire world is composed of people who fall on one side of the other. And the thing is, the Church falls into those same categories.
No one is excluded – even pastors (we are human, as well). Some are all about the Body of Christ – the Church – and others are all about themselves, though it may be under the guise of their care of the Body. Some are fooled as to what the truth is, but many are not. Many are just happy to go along for the ride, right or wrong.
Interestingly enough, the church to whom the Apostle Paul wrote – the church in Corinth that we have been reading of was a mess. You would think that this close to the beginning of Christianity, they would have had a leg up on the rest of us…but no, that was not the case. The entirety of 1 Corinthians addresses issues, and chapter 14 is no exception.
From verse 1 through verse 25, Paul speaks of people seeking the gift of tongues – speaking in other languages. It’s a gift that brings glory and attention to oneself if one is not careful. Paul stated that he, too, spoke in tongues but felt it more important that the gift of prophecy be sought after. That gift edified the Church, bringing glory and attention to the Church.
By its very nature, the gift of tongues focused on the individual unless some kind of translation was provided. If someone were to step up to the pulpit and begin speaking in German, they, for the most part, would get blank stares, and people would probably start leaving unless, by chance, they happened to understand German. On the other hand, if someone fluent in German stood by their side and translated for them, it would be a totally different story.
That’s where the problem lay in Corinth. Speaking in tongues was a flashy, look-at-me kind of gift for some, and all they cared about was being in the spotlight with everyone in awe of their ability.
Paul declared in verses 1 and 3-5,
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy… But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.
May our goal be to lift the Body – the Church – with whatever gift we are blessed with. It is not about us. We are called to glorify God and to build His Kingdom. Amen!
Jan 16th, 2024, Tues, 2:23 pm
Serve One Another in Love
Thank You, Father, for a productive yet laid-back day. May our time together be all it needs to be. May my love for You shine through. Amen.
1 Corinthians 13:13 (<<click here to read the passage)
And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love. AMP
At the end of verse 8, Paul wrote that love endures forever. In morally corrupt Corinth (where the recipients of this letter lived), love had become a mixed-up term with little meaning. Today, people are still confused about love.
We say we love all kinds of things. We love ice cream, puppies (or kittens!), a particular shade of lipstick, an artist’s hit song, and how well a plan comes together! I try not to use “love” about those kinds of things, but it’s hard because we hear it used that way almost every day. It’s not wrong, and it’s definitely not a sin, but, for me, at least, I try to attach love to where it is most important – God, the things of God, and others.
Another area in today’s society where love is a mixed-up term with little meaning is in many of our everyday relationships. Love is cheapened in media, be it movies, television programs, books, and other publications. Not exclusively, but in many instances, love in these scenarios is shallow, tawdry, and self-seeking. But that is not how it should be!
As my Life Application Study Bible says, Love is the greatest of all human qualities and is an attribute of God himself (1 John 4:8). Love involves unselfish service to others.
That is emphasized in the Amplified Bible’s translation here in verse 13, where it fleshes out the concept of love by stating that it is unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me.
A Ligonier article, He First Loved Us, reads, For as 1 John 4:19 tells us, “we love because he first loved us.” It is the effectual love of God that first changes our hearts in order to make us capable of love, and it is His example of love that reminds us again and again of our need to love other people.
Faith is the foundation and content of God’s message; hope is the attitude and focus; love is action. When faith and hope are in line, you are free to love completely because you understand how God loves. Does your faith fully express itself in loving others?
May that be our goal every day!
Jan 15th, 2024, Mon, 7:19 pm