Category: Worship

Abraham Lincoln, Zombie Statue

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Imagine for a moment that you are in Washington D.C.  You find yourself in the national mall and you walk past the reflection pool and make your way up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  Slowly, you walk up to the giant statue of Abraham Lincoln.  Thoughtfully, you remember the man that many people consider the greatest president that has ever lived.  Suddenly, his statue begins speaking to you.  At first, you wonder if he’s some sort of zombie statue who might even possibly devour you for treading on his territory, but then, you realize that he, the real Abraham Lincoln, is really there, in person, desiring a conversation with you. What you thought was going to be a personal memorial for a deceased man has suddenly become an interaction with a living president.

This is what happens to us when we encounter Jesus.  We think of Him as the One who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, but we often don’t anticipate it going any further than that.  We certainly don’t expect any personal interaction with Him.  But then, we encounter Him and we remember that He’s alive and real, not wanting to destroy us but desiring a strong, real meaningful, personal relationship with each one of us.

My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.  Philippians 3:10 HCSB

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The Biggest Worship Mistake Ever

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Everyone, everywhere seems to have an extremely detailed opinion of what or how worship is supposed to be.  Interestingly enough, most of these opinions do not refer to true worship in a biblical sense, but are more about music style, sermon methodology, tradition (or the absence thereof), and permissible clergy clothing.

However, when Isaiah saw the Lord in Isaiah 6, he experienced the greatness of God, realized the extent of his own sinfulness, and witnessed his sin being atoned for.  The end result of his worship experience was when Isaiah said “Here am I, send me.”

God shaped us after Himself so that we could experience His presence and accomplish His purposes.  When we realize who He is and all that He has done for us, our only reasonable response to Him is worship and absolute surrender.

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Late Night Frustration

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There I was, once again, working long into the night, angry that my ministry project wasn’t producing the results I expected.  In frustration, I threw up my hands and cried out, “God, what am I doing wrong?”

That’s when, in my head, I heard a whisper say, “Ask Me for help.”

Why do we do it?  Why do we spend countless hours working on ministry projects, seasonal productions, mission trips, evangelism strategies, small group trainings, and worship planning meetings without asking for God’s favor?  Why don’t we ask Him to establish the work of our hands?

We all make this mistake on an almost daily basis.  We get so busy serving the Lord that we fail to ask Him, the all-knowing Creator God, to guide us in the work that we are doing.  We simply forget to ask Him to bless the work of our hands, minds, and voices.  In other words, we neglect to involve Him in the process of our ministry projects and processes.  Why do we do this?

Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish the work of our hands-establish the work of our hands!  Psalm 90:17 HCSB

It’s time for us to ask His forgiveness.  It’s time that we asked Him for His favor.  It’s time that we trust Him to guide us once again.

Lord, forgive us when we forget You.  May we find favor in Your eyes.  Will You please establish the work of our hands?

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Renewal

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Every now and then, God allows me the opportunity to be completely surrounded by His creation.  In these moments, He renews me, reminds me of who He is, who I am, and how much He loves me.

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In these moments, the distractions and worries of this life fade away and His presence is all that I feel.

And then there’s today.

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Okay, I know I’m only one person so the panic can’t really be widespread, but that overwhelming sensation did come over me and try to frighten me into submission.

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That’s when Jesus reminds me that He has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

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And once again, in the midst of the chaos, He renews me once again.

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Why We Should Give Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving.  It’s a day set aside for us to give thanks to God for his many blessings.  When I think of this holiday, I am reminded of a Bible story from Luke 17.

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem when He heard ten lepers calling out to him from a distance.  In that day, people with leprosy were basically cast out of regular society because they were very contagious.  Because of this, when these men saw Jesus, they didn’t approach Him but instead called out to Him from a distance, “Jesus!  Master!  Have mercy on us!”

The Bible says that Jesus simply looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”  The lepers obeyed Jesus and as they made their way to find the priests, they were completely healed of their leprosy.  One of the men, when he realized that he was healed, ran back to Jesus, shouting praises to God, and fell at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him for his healing.  As the man was still kneeling, Jesus asked him, “Didn’t I heal ten men?  Where are the other nine?”

Here’s one lesson we can learn from this story:  When the ten lepers cried out to Jesus, they had to do so from a distance because they weren’t allowed to approach anyone because of their leprosy.  However, when they were all healed, only this one man ran back to thank Jesus.  In doing so, he was the only one of the ten who was able to come close enough to throw himself at Jesus’ feet.  So basically, the one who gave thanks was the only one who was able to touch Jesus.  You see, there can be extreme benefits in expressing our gratitude to the Lord.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.  Remember to give thanks.

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Everything You Need

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”  Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.  2 Corinthians 12:9

Paul couldn’t understand what was happening to him.  Three times, he had asked the Lord to alleviate a negative situation in his life.  God answered Paul’s prayers, but in an unexpected way.  The Lord chose to not dissolve Paul’s problem.  Instead, He assured Paul that His grace was sufficient for him, even during difficult times.

God’s grace enables us to continue no matter what circumstance we may encounter.  If everyone turns against us, it will still be there to strengthen us.  His grace is never inadequate.  It will never run dry.  It never spoils.  It has no expiration date.  It is never depleted.  It never fails.  His grace, without any merit of our own that would cause Him to act so incredibly favorably toward us is certainly adequate for our own needs.  It is more than we deserve.  It is more than enough to accomplish more than we could ever imagine.

Lord, thank You for Your grace!  It is more than sufficient for me. 

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Curtain

Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit.  Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked and the rocks were split.  Matthew 27:50-51 HCSB

In biblical times, the temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish religious life.  It was where animal sacrifices were carried out.  It was also the location of the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence, better known as the Holy of Holies.  A large curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple.  Only the high priest was allowed to pass through this curtain and enter the presence of God, and he could only do so once a year.

The curtain was a constant reminder that sin renders humanity as unfit for the presence of God.  Fortunately, at the moment of Jesus’ death, the curtain was torn in two from top to bottom.  Jesus, through His death, removed the barrier between God and man.  Now, because of His grace, we have permission to enter the presence of the Lord with confidence.

Thank You, Lord, for Your grace, which has made a way for us to enter Your presence.

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Amazing

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift.  Ephesians 2:8 HCSB

In 1736, eleven-year-old John Newton went to sea on a merchant ship, which sailed the Mediterranean.  Eight years later, he joined the crew of a warship, the H.M.S. Harwich.  Horrified by the conditions of the ship, Newton deserted his post.  He was soon recaptured, demoted in rank, and publicly flogged for his indiscretion.  In time, he was traded to the owner of a slave ship, which frequented the coast of Sierra Leone.  In time, he was rescued and later became the captain of his own slave ship.

While steering his ship through a violent storm, Newton cried out, “Lord, have mercy upon us!”  He later declared that his cry was more than just for his safety, but that it was his “great deliverance,” when the grace of God became real to him.

Newton eventually became a pastor in Olney, Buckinghamshire.  While in service at Olney, Newton collaborated to produce Olney Hymns, a new hymnal for that day.  Included in the collection was the newly written song Amazing Grace, penned by Newton himself, as a tribute to the grace of God.

Thank You, Lord, for Your amazing grace.  It has the power to transform lives.

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