Tag: worship

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Hollow worship, true worship

Saul and Samuel

Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship the Lord.”

Samuel replied to Saul, “I will not return with you. Because you rejected the word of the Lord… (1 Samuel 15:25-26)

Come back with me so I can bow in worship to the Lord your God.”

Then Samuel went back, following Saul, and Saul bowed down to the Lord. (1 Samuel 15:30-31)

Father, Saul professed a desire to worship you. But he had little idea what worship meant.

True worship is you having our hearts. All of our hearts.

David realized that:

You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
you are not pleased with a burnt offering.

The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.
You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. (Psalm 51:16-17)

Saul never did figure that out.

Because you didn’t have Saul’s heart, his “worship” meant nothing to you.

Lord, do you have my heart?

Have all of my heart.

Don’t ever let my idea of worship become as shallow as Saul’s.

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Joshua Devotionals

Forgetting the “therefore”

Bible

Therefore, fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth. (Joshua 24:14)

Therefore.

When I first read verse 14 this morning, I’ll admit my first focus was on worshiping God in sincerity and truth, and thinking about what that meant.

But as I read it again, the word “therefore” leapt to my eye.

What was the “therefore” there for?

Joshua had been reminding the Israelites of God’s goodness and mercy towards them.

And only after having done so, did he then say, “Therefore, fear him, worshiping him in sincerity and truth.”

It reminded me of another “therefore” in the Bible.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. (Romans 12:1)

It’s so easy to start with God’s commands to give our all to him. To put aside the idols and sin in our lives and to serve and worship him with all our heart, soul, and mind.

But let’s not skip over the “therefore.”

Rather, let us always start with these two truths:

Our God is so good to us.

And he has shown us so much mercy and grace.

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Acts Devotionals

Worshiping in ignorance?

worship

I see that you are extremely religious in every respect…you worship in ignorance…(Acts 17:22-23)

I was thinking about those words today. The Atheniens were very religious, but worshiped in ignorance. Their concept of God was so far from the truth, that Paul felt compelled to correct them.

The Samaritans had a similar problem. Jesus said of them,

You Samaritans worship what you do not know. (John 4:22)

Of course there are many people today who have a wrong view of God. But is there a sense in which we Christians also worship in ignorance?

Put another way, “What gaps still exist in our understanding of God? And how much have our experiences colored our perception of God?”

Many of us know in our heads, for example, that God is our Father.

But how much is that image distorted in our minds because of our own relationships with our earthly fathers?

Or we say that God is a good king. But how much do we struggle with that concept because we’ve seen leaders inside and outside the church abuse their power?

I think I have a pretty healthy image of God. But I have to wonder, are there still some gaps in there?

Gaps that sometimes make me hesitate to obey him?

Gaps that sometimes make me hesitant to trust him?

Gaps that make me seek the praise of others because I fail to see how God sees me?

I see all these issues in my life. Could it be because there is still a sense in which I’m worshiping in ignorance?

So this is my prayer today:

Father, help me to truly know you more. Fill in those gaps, so that I can see you as you truly are.

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Luke Devotionals

Honored as holy?

Worship

Father, your name be honored as holy. (Luke 11:2)

Father, what does it mean to honor you as holy?

It means to treat you as one who is worthy of the highest honor.

As one who is worthy to receive my very best in everything. Not second or third best. And certainly not the leftovers.

As one who is in fact, worthy to receive all of me.

All my love.

All my trust.

All my obedience.

All my life.

But how often do I treat your name as unholy? Or just plain common?

I don’t give you the honor that’s due you.

I prioritize other things over you. I give you my second or third best. Or even the leftovers.

I seek my plans ahead of yours.

Or I indulge in activities I know are displeasing to you.

Father, let your name be honored in this world. In Japan. In America. In all nations. Let all people give you the full honor due you.

But first, let your name be honored in me.

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Deuteronomy Devotionals

Worshiping God’s way

worship

Probably the most important point God is teaching the Israelites in Deuteronomy 12 is that the Israelites were not just to worship however they wanted. They were to worship God’s way.

We are not under the same covenant that the Israelites were. But even under the new covenant, we can’t simply worship the way we want.

According to Jesus, we are to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).

That doesn’t mean merely performing religious rituals or singing worship songs.

To worship in spirit means that God has our whole hearts. Our whole lives, everything we say and do, becomes worship to him. (Romans 12:1)

To worship in spirit also requires worshiping in truth.

For our lives to be pleasing to him, to be worship to him, we must live by his truth.

We cannot make up our own truth, accepting or discarding God’s word as we like. That would be worshiping our way, not God’s. And God won’t accept that kind of “worship.”

That kind of “worship” is not pleasing to him.

How about you? Are you worshiping God’s way?

Are you worshiping in spirit and in truth?

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Exodus Devotions

Immanuel

Immanuel

“Now if I have indeed found favor with you, please teach me your ways, and I will know you, so that I may find favor with you. Now consider that this nation is your people.”

And he replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

“If your presence does not go,” Moses responded to him, “don’t make us go up from here.” (Exodus 33:13-15)

I was thinking this morning, “How often do I have Moses’ heart?”

“Father, I don’t even want to leave this house unless you go with me. If I have found favor with you, walk with me. Teach me your ways and I will know you so that I may find favor with you.”

The amazing thing is that God says to us, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and I know you by name. My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:17, 14)

Ultimately, that’s what Christmas is about.

Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.

He not only walks with us and talks with us as he did with Moses, he reveals his glory to us, and we receive grace upon grace upon grace. (John 1:14, 16-18)

That’s awesome to ponder.

Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to people he favors! (Luke 2:14)

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Exodus Devotions

Who am I?

Worship

God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am Yahweh; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Yahweh, I was not known to them.” (Exodus 6:2-3, LSB)

Father, you are El Shaddai, God Almighty. You are Yahweh.

You are the God that was with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

You are the God that was with Moses.

And you are with me.

Who am I that you would care about me?

That you would hear my groanings?

That you would save me and redeem me?

That you would take me to be your own?

That you would bring me into your kingdom?

That you would be my God and reveal yourself to me?

That in Jesus you have revealed yourself to me in a way that even Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses didn’t know.

And so I choose to trust you, even in my struggles.

You were faithful then. You are faithful now. And you will be faithful throughout all eternity.

I love you, Abba.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Psalms Devotionals 2

Leading our hearts to worship

My soul, bless the Lord,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

My soul, bless the Lord,
and do not forget all his benefits. (Psalm 103:1-2)

I was just thinking today, “How often do I lead my heart to bless the Lord?”

How often do I say, “Hey self! Bless the Lord today. Don’t forget all he’s done for you. Don’t forget all his goodness to you.”

That’s important to do when things are going badly, of course. When David got really down, he reminded himself, “Hey self! Why are you so down? Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 42-43)

But it’s also important to do when things are going well. To remember where all your blessings came from (Deuteronomy 6:10-12).

That’s what David does in this psalm. At a guess, he wrote this psalm some time after God had forgiven his sin with Bathsheba and restored his kingdom after his son Absalom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 11-19).

How about you? Do you lead your heart to bless the Lord every day?

Bless the Lord…
his servants who do his will.

Bless the Lord, all his works
in all the places where he rules.

My soul, bless the Lord! (21-22)

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Titus Devotionals

True worship

He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works. (Titus 2:14)

I’ve been thinking the last few days about what people mean when they say, “I love to worship.”

For that matter, what do I mean?

I think for many people, it means, “I feel good when I sing songs to God. I sense his love. I feel so close to him.”

I confess, it’s easy for me to think of worship this way.

But is that all worship is?

Worship recognizes that by his great mercy, Jesus went to the cross for our sins. He did so to cleanse us of our sin and make us his own people, a people eager to do good works, serving him.

We are his now. We belong to him.

And so worshiping God doesn’t just mean singing love songs.

It’s living a life that says, “My life is completely yours. My money. My time. I offer every aspect of my life to you.”

Paul recognized that in Romans 11-12.

Paul sang a song, but it’s notable that it wasn’t just a love song. It was a song which recognized that all things in this world are from God, through him, and to him, and that all glory belongs to him. (Romans 11:36).

And then Paul defines true worship:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. (Romans 12:1)

When you say that you love to worship, is that what you mean?

Father, help me to love worship. To joyfully offer you all I am and all I have to you, holding nothing back.

It’s only right that I worship you by offering myself to you. For you created me and by your will, I was created and exist (Revelation 4:11).

From you, and through you, and to you are all things. So not just in my songs, but in every aspect of my life, be glorified. In Jesus’ name amen.

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Matthew Devotionals

Obey, trust, worship

Matthew

[Jesus] answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3)

Father, there are times in my life you withhold things from me that I need or want. Not because they are not good. But to remind me that while these other things may be good or important, they are not enough to give me a life that is fulfilling.

What truly gives me life is living by every word that comes from your mouth.

So Father, help me to live in obedience to your good Word, just as Jesus did. (John 4:34)

Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.” (7, Deuteronomy 6:16; Exodus 17:7)

Father, I do believe you love me. I do believe that you are with me.

So let me not be like the Israelites who questioned your love when times got hard. Instead, help me to trust you completely as Jesus did, as a little child trusts his good father.

Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” (10, Deuteronomy 6:13)

God, you alone are worthy of my worship. So let my words, my thoughts, my deeds, my life, be worship to you every moment of every day. Let me worship or serve no other.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Matthew Devotionals

A Christmas prayer

Wise men

Lord, let me never take you for granted or lose my wonder at you.

That’s what the priests and scribes seemed to have done.

They studied your scriptures. They did all their religious rituals.

But when they heard you had been born, they couldn’t be bothered to seek you out. They just went back to their studies and religious practices with hearts completely unchanged.

Lord, let me instead be like the wise men. Seeking you. Overwhelmed with joy at the sight of you. Falling to my knees. Worshiping you.

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Romans Devotionals

Let my life to you be worship

Romans

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

Lord, you have been so merciful to me. So Lord, every day, I want my life to be yours.

Every word. Every thought. Every action. Let them be holy. Let them be pleasing to you. Let my life to you be worship.

Renew my mind. Help me to think the way you do. I want to know what is good, pleasing, and perfect in your sight.

My life is yours, Lord. I’m yours.

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Psalms Devotionals 2

Encouraging our spiritual leaders

Psalms

Now bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord
who stand in the Lord’s house at night!

Lift up your hands in the holy place
and bless the Lord! (Psalm 134:1-2)

As the people completed their pilgrimage into Jerusalem, they would sing the above words to those serving in the temple.

In turn, the people working in the temple would call back a blessing on those coming into Jerusalem. (3)

It might seem strange to encourage people who worked in the temple to lift up their hands and bless the Lord. After all, wasn’t that their job?

And yet the danger for anyone serving the Lord is that they get so involved in the work of the ministry that they forget to have hearts turned to the Lord in worship.

So if you’re a leader in the church, remember to not just spend time working for the Lord. Remember to spend time worshiping him.

And if you are someone who continually receives blessing from those working for the Lord (3), remember to pass on words of encouragement to them. Thank them for the ways they have blessed you.

But more importantly, remind them to spend time worshiping the Lord themselves, keeping their eyes on him.

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Psalms Devotionals

A prayer to the Rock of my salvation

Psalms

Lord, you are the Rock of my salvation. Just as the rock was struck at Massah and Meribah giving the people life-giving water, you were struck on the cross giving me eternal life (Exodus 17:1-7, I Corinthians 10:4, John 4:10-14, 7:37-39).

I rejoice in you, Lord, because you have triumphed over Satan, sin, and death! And I’m so grateful for the grace that you have given me. (Psalm 95:1-2)

You are the great God, the King of all other “gods.” You are the Creator of all things. (3-5)

So Lord I bow down to you. I worship you. You are my God, my shepherd. I am your sheep. I am yours. (6-7)

Help me to always remember that, Lord. When trials come and I’m struggling, let me never question you, asking “Are you really with me?” (Exodus 17:7)

You’ve already proven your love and goodness to me. So help me to trust you. And no matter what happens to me, let me enter your rest, rejoicing in you today, and every day.

Thank you Lord for your goodness.

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Psalms Devotionals

Keeping perspective

Psalms

The psalmist’s words really struck me this morning.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
to declare your faithful love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night… (Psalm 92:1-2)

To be honest, these are things I need to do more often.

Often times, the first thing I’m listening to in the morning is the news, which is not something that often puts me in a particularly worshipful mood. On the contrary, it can have a negative effect on my attitude right from the get-go.

And his faithfulness is also not something I spend a lot of time reflecting on at night before I go to bed.

How much would my attitudes be different throughout the day, if I started and ended each day rejoicing in his faithful love in the morning and reminding myself of his faithfulness to me at night.

Something to think about…

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John Devotionals

The fragrance of worship

John

Last Sunday, I was speaking in my church about being a living sacrifice.

One of the things I pointed out was that in the Old Testament, when sacrifices were made to God, they were described as a pleasing aroma to him.

In the same way, all our thoughts, all our words, all our actions are to be a pleasing aroma to God. That’s what a living sacrifice is.

Here in this passage, we see an example of this. Mary poured out perfume on Jesus’ feet and its fragrance filled the room.

I think it’s safe to say that her action was a pleasing aroma of worship to God.

Contrast that with Judas, who though he claimed to care for the poor, nevertheless thought only of himself.

As Paul would have put it, Judas’ “love” was filled with hypocrisy (Romans 12:9).

As such, it was a stench before God, and that stench filled the room as much as Mary’s perfume did.

Let us not be like Judas, but like Mary.

May our thoughts, our words, our actions, and our very lives be a pleasing aroma that rises up to God and fills this entire world.

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Matthew Devotionals

True Sabbath worship

Matthew

Here in Japan and in the States, it looks like we’re all going to start returning to church soon.

But it would be well for us to remember what true Sabbath worship is.

It’s not just going to church. It’s not just singing praise songs, listening to the Bible message, and giving our offerings.

Jesus told the Pharisees, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” (Matthew 12:7)

This did not mean that God didn’t want sacrifices. God had in fact commanded them. But God doesn’t merely want our religious rituals and actions.

He wants us to show mercy to people. How often do we go to church thinking, “Who can I show mercy to today?”

There are many people who are weary and burdened (Matthew 11:28).

Who are distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. (9:36).

Do we have compassion for them? Do we show mercy to them?

Let Jesus be the Lord of your Sabbath.

Don’t just go to church. Don’t just sing songs and listen to the message.

Look for who you can show mercy to.

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Matthew Devotionals

A heart of worship

Matthew

“How passionate am I to come worship Jesus?”

That was my thought as I read this passage.

The wise men were definitely passionate about coming to worship Jesus. They left their country and left no stone unturned in order to find him.

And when they found the star of the Savior hovering over Bethlehem, “they were overwhelmed with joy.”  (Matthew 2:10)

Finding the Savior, they fell to their knees and worshiped him, offering him costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Contrast their response with that of the chief priests and scribes.

For whatever reason, their hearts were not stirred in the least to find and worship their Messiah. Instead, they went back to the temple to read their scrolls and perform their religious duties.

What about us? Do we daily have a passion to worship our Messiah? Are we overwhelmed with joy that he is near and that we have access to him?

Does that passion make us willing to sacrifice our time and our money simply for the privilege of coming before him and worshiping him?

Or are we…indifferent?

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Jeremiah Devotionals

Our response in times of crisis

Jeremiah

As I write this, many people around the world are panicking because of the Corona virus.

How do we respond as Christians? I think we learn the answer through this chapter.

Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, although the nations are terrified by them, for the customs of the peoples are worthless. (Jeremiah 10:2-3)

These “signs” probably had to do with astrological predictions of disaster. People looked at the stars, saw disaster, and feared.

Perhaps the majority of people don’t think that way anymore, but people look at things like this virus and fear what will happen.

But we are not to be like the people of this world, fearing what they fear.

Instead, we should have three responses: worship, humility, and trust.

Lord, there is no one like you.
You are great;
your name is great in power.

Who should not fear you,
King of the nations.

For among all the wise people of the nations
and among all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. (Jeremiah 10:6-7)

Meditate on these words. Pray these words today. Meditate on and pray Jeremiah’s words in verses 10, 12-13, and 16 too.

Then with humility and trust, pray,

I know, Lord,
that a person’s way of life is not his own;
no one who walks determines his own steps.

Discipline me, Lord, but with justice–
not in your anger,
or you will reduce me to nothing. (Jeremiah 10:23-24)

Of course, be cautious in times like these. But let us not live in panic and terror.

Remember that we serve an awesome Lord. And in humility, let us trust him. 

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2 Kings Devotionals Psalms Devotionals

Thankfulness and worship

2 Kings

Today, I was reading 2 Kings 4 as part of my Bible reading plan, but I was also reading Psalm 145-146.

And I could just imagine all the people God helped in 2 Kings 4 worshiping him with those two psalms.

We often ask for God’s help. But how often do we thank him and praise him when he does?

Has God answered one of your prayers recently? Has he helped you in your time of trouble?

If so, have you spent time thanking him and praising him for it?

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Psalms Devotionals

Commanded to rejoice

Psalms

At my church yesterday, we were looking at the story of Jehoshaphat and how in the face of an unwinnable battle, he placed the worshipers out in front of the army. What did those worshipers sing?

Give thanks to the Lord,
for his faithful love endures forever. (2 Chronicles 20:21)

I wonder if the song they were singing was actually Psalm 136?

At any rate, in choosing to worship, they remembered who God was and what he had done for them. And as a result, God brought about great victory.

I couldn’t help but think of that story as I read Psalm 81. For in it, Asaph tells us,

Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.

Lift up a song—play the tambourine,
the melodious lyre, and the harp. (Psalm 81:1-2)

And then he says,

For this is a statute for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob. (4)

In other words, God commanded the Israelites to worship.

In this case, Asaph was probably pointing to the Feast of Tabernacles when the people remembered their journeys in the desert after God had freed them from Egypt.

Why did God command the people to worship?

To help them keep their eyes on him.

To remember who he is, and what he had done for them.

So that they would trust him, living by every word that comes from his mouth, not turning away from him as their ancestors did again and again.

And why did their ancestors turn away? Because they forgot who God was and what he had done for them.

And so it made me think. How much is worship a part of my life? I used to do it a lot when I was younger, and then kind of got away from it for some reason.

Of course, worship is much more than just singing songs. But that doesn’t mean singing is not important.

God commands us to rejoice. To sing to him. And so that’s what I want to do more of going forward.

Lord, help me to sing and rejoice in you as you have commanded. Set my focus on you in the good times and the bad.

I rejoice, Lord, because you are good. And your faithful love endures forever. Amen.

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Romans Devotionals

True worship

Romans

What is worship?

I used to think it was just singing songs.

But to Paul, it was so much more.

He says,

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. (Romans 12:1)

When we completely offer our very lives to God, that is true worship.

When we do what is good and pleasing in his sight, that is worship.

When we use our gifts to benefit God’s people.

When we encourage others, that is worship.

When we give generously to help others, that is worship.

When we show mercy with cheerfulness, that is worship.

When we love and honor each other, that is worship.

When we bless those who persecute us, that is worship.

When we are patient in affliction, that is worship.

All these things are worship in God’s eyes.

May 2019 be a year where we truly learn to worship God in all these ways, and more.

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Colossians Devotionals

A prayer of worship

Colossians

I must admit, I don’t worship nearly enough as I should when I read the Bible. But this time, I couldn’t help myself.

Lord, as I look at this passage, I can’t help but worship you.

Jesus, you are the image of the invisible God. In you, we see Him who is invisible.

Jesus, you are the firstborn, the one who is preeminent over all creation. Why preeminent?

Because you are their creator. You created all things. All things! Visible and invisible. In heaven and on earth. Thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities, all things! Created through you! And created for you!

You were before all things! And in you, all things hold together!

You are the head of the church.

You are the beginning.

You are the firstborn, preeminent among all those who rose from the dead, because you alone never died again. You alone received a resurrection body upon rising from the grave.

More, all the fullness of the Father was pleased to dwell in you.

And through you, the Father reconciles all things through the blood you shed on  the cross. And by your death, you reconciled me to yourself, in order to present me holy, blameless, and above reproach before the Father.

You are the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to the saints. And now you dwell in us. You are the hope of glory.

In you, Jesus, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and I…we have been completely filled in you.

You are the head of all rule and authority.

In you, our hearts have now been circumcised, the power of sin cut off away from us. We have been buried with you in baptism, and raised with you through the powerful working of the Father.

I was dead in my trespasses. But now I have been made alive with you. The Father has raised me with you and forgiven my sins, canceling the record of debt that stood against me.

All the things that came before in the ceremonial law, the food laws, the festivals, the Sabbath, they were the shadow. But you, Jesus, are the substance, the reality that all these things pointed to.

You are the one from whom the whole body, the church, is nourished and knit together, growing with a growth that is from God.

Thank you, Jesus, for who you are. Thank you Jesus for all you’ve done.

Amen.

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Joshua Devotionals

Who is in charge?

Joshua

This is always a striking passage when I read it. And it always makes me think  about my relationship with God.

So many times, people ask, “God, are you really for me?”, as if we were the center of the universe. As if we were the ones calling the shots and God has to fall in line with us.

But God answers us as he did Joshua in this passage. “No. I have now come as commander of the Lord’s army.” (Joshua 5:14)

In short, “Wrong question. I’m the one in charge. I’m the one calling the shots. So the question is not whether I am for you and will support you in your plans. The question is whether you will fall in line with me and my plans.”

Joshua’s response?

What does my lord want to say to his servant? (14)

And he worshiped.

Lord, you are worthy of my worship. You are worthy of my obedience. So like Joshua, I ask, “What do you want to say to your servant?”

Help me to hear your voice clearly. To not just charge ahead with my own plans. But to submit myself to yours. Let my whole life to you be praise. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Revelation

Because Jesus is coming soon

Revelation

If there is one theme throughout these final verses of Revelation, and indeed of the Bible itself, it’s that Jesus is coming soon.

He says it in verses 7, 12 and 22.

What should our response be to this? We see it in verse 17.

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears, say “Come.” (Revelation 22:17a)

I find it interesting that even the Holy Spirit cries to the Son, “Come!” Perhaps this in connection with his intercession for us that we see in Romans 8:18-27.

But we, the Bride of Christ, are also to long for his coming. We are to set our hearts on his return. How do we do that?

First, be faithful in all that God calls you to do.

Jesus tells us,

Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (Revelation 22:12)

Like we saw in chapter 20, there are two books. One is the book of our deeds, and the other is the Lamb’s book of life.

But just because your name is written in the latter doesn’t mean the former has been wiped out. I do believe that we will stand before God and we will be judged according to what we have done. It’s a theme we see again and again in the gospels and the epistles.

God will judge us for how faithful we’ve been with what he’s given us. If we’ve been faithful, we will be rewarded. If we haven’t, we will be saved, but only as someone escaping flames (I Corinthians 3:10-15).

And so as Jesus warns: be ready. (Matthew 24:36-25:30).

Second, strive for holiness.

John tells us in his first epistle,

We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)

In other words, because we have the hope of Christ’s return, and that we will be like him someday, let us work to that end even while we are waiting.

And so Jesus says,

Let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy. (Revelation 22:11b)

Third, worship God.

There are so many things that can captivate us and our imaginations. Some of them are even good things. But they are not to be worshiped.

Twice, John nearly fell into that trap by starting to worship something that was good: an angel. (19:10; 22:8).

And twice the angel said,

Do not do it…Worship God! (Revelation 22:9)

Don’t worship the creation. Worship the Creator.

Finally, be faithful to the words of God.

We have seen many admonitions in this book. We saw them especially in chapters 2-3, but they are throughout the book. And Jesus calls us to be faithful and obey them.

He said,

Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophesy in this book. (Revelation 22:7)

And we are warned sternly to neither add to these words or take away from them. (22:18-19)

This then, is how we are to live until he returns.

But if you do not yet know Jesus, these next words are for you:

Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17b)

God will not force you to come to him. If you choose to stay in your sin, he will let you. (22:11a)

But his desire is that you would come to him and be saved.

He says,

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

How do you wash your robes? By your own efforts to “clean up your act?”

No, you wash them in the blood of Christ shed on the cross. And when you put your trust in him, he purifies you from all sin. (I John 1:7)

Won’t you do so today? It starts with a prayer.

Lord Jesus, all my life, I have gone my own way, hurting you, hurting others, and hurting myself. Forgive me.

Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Make me clean of all my sins and failures. You are King of kings, and Lord of lords, and I give myself to you today. In your name I pray, amen.

I now close with the words of Jesus and John.

Jesus said,

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.

I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star…

Yes I am coming soon. (Revelation 22:16, 20)

And John responds,

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with God’s people. (21)

Amen and amen.

Categories
Revelation

The spirit behind prophesy…and all we say and do

Revelation

I must admit, I can finally see the finish line after all these years of blogging. And it’s very tempting to just rush ahead and finish this as quickly as possible.

But John thought it necessary to take a small break in the narrative, and so I will too. And actually, it’s a reminder to me of why I started writing this blog in the first place.

After the angel tells John about the wedding supper of the Lamb, John falls at the angel’s feet to worship him.

It would be easy to imagine why. Here is this angel, glorious and holy, much more so than John is. It’s easy to see why for a fleeting moment John might think that this angel too is worthy of worship.

But the angel said,

Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with our brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy. (Revelation 19:10)

In other words, “John, I am not showing you all these things so that you can worship me. I am not at the center of all these things, any more than any of the prophets were the center of the prophesies they gave, or you are the center of these prophesies I am showing you now.

“Jesus is the center of all these things. All prophesy is given to testify to Jesus.”

That’s so important for us to remember. That Jesus is the center of everything. He’s the center of prophesy. But he’s also the center of everything we say and do. At least he should be.

When I write this blog, or give a message at church, it shouldn’t be to glorify me. It should be to glorify Christ.

When you serve in the church, or serve in the community, it shouldn’t be to bring you glory, but to testify to Jesus to those around you.

And if we lose sight of that, we get into trouble. We start worshiping fame. We start worshiping money. We start worshiping the praise and respect of others. And Jesus gets lost in the midst of it all, when he should be at the center.

So here’s the question: As you serve in the church, are you doing it with a worshiping heart that points to Jesus? As you reach out to your community, are you doing it with a heart that glorifies God?

Who or what are you falling before and worshiping?

Categories
Hebrews

Because we have this inheritance

Hebrews

We’ve talked the last couple of days about the inheritance God offers us in Christ and the dangers of refusing this inheritance.

But if as Christians we have now received this inheritance, how then shall we live? The writer of Hebrews tells us,

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. (Hebrews 12:28)

What does that mean practically? Basically chapter 13 tells us what true worship is. And it’s not just singing songs.

It’s loving those around you, especially your brothers and sisters in Christ. (Hebrews 13:1)

It’s showing hospitality, even to those you don’t know. (13:2)

It’s showing mercy to those around you. (13:3)

It’s honoring your wife and husband and keeping your marriage bed pure. (13:4)

It’s loving and trusting God more than money. (13:5-6)

It’s following the example of the spiritual leaders God has put in your lives. (13:7)

It’s living a life based on the grace of God, not on legalistic rituals and rules. (13:9-10)

It’s being willing to suffer for Christ, and holding to the eternal, not the temporal. (13:11-14)

It’s worshiping God with a sacrifice of praise. (13:15)

It’s doing good and being generous with those around you. (13:16)

It’s being subject to the leaders in your church, building them up and not tearing them down, bringing strife and division into the church. (13:17)

It’s praying for those around you, especially those involved with ministry. (13:18)

How about you?

Have you received the inheritance of the children of God? And out of the thankfulness of your heart, are you offering daily sacrifices of worship to God?

Categories
John John 4

True worship

John

In the midst of the dialogue between Jesus and the woman at the well, we see an interesting sidelight into worship.

The woman stung by the truth of her own life, tries to divert Jesus, saying, “I see you’re a prophet. You know, our ancestors worshiped God here, but you Jews say we have to worship in Jerusalem. What do you say?”

This argument was one of the big disputes between the Jews and the Samaritans, and perhaps this woman was looking to anger Jesus by bringing this topic up.

But instead Jesus answered compassionately, saying,

Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:21-24)

In short, Jesus said, “It doesn’t matter anymore where you worship. What matters now is how you worship.”

What did Jesus mean?

First, our worship needs to be based on God’s truth. The problem with the Samaritans’ way of worship was that they worshiped “what they didn’t know.”

Years before, when the northern kingdom of Israel had been conquered and exiled, other groups of people came to inhabit Israel and intermarried with the remaining Jews.

In doing so, however, they had not only mixed races, but had mixed religions. As a result, they had a confused view of God, and you can’t worship God that way.

But God also desires that we worship from our spirits. He’s not just interested in our “form.” He wants us to worship from our hearts.

More than that, he desires that our whole lives be praise to him. That as we live each day, living for him, and touching the lives around us, that our whole lives would sing out his glory. That’s what it means to worship in spirit.

How about you? Are you worshiping in truth?

You cannot worship in truth if you have a wrong view of God as the Samaritans did. You need to accept God as he has revealed himself, not as you want him to be.

How has God revealed himself? Through his written Word, and the living Word that is his Son.

The apostle Paul wrote,

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. (Colossians 2:9)

If you want to know who God is, look at Christ.

Are you worshiping God in spirit? Not just in song, but with your whole life?

A song my friend wrote has stuck with me throughout the years. One line. One prayer.

Let my life to You be praise.

May you worship God in spirit and in truth this day, and every day.

Categories
Psalms

A call to worship

Psalms

There’s a song by Tommy Walker that I love called “All the Saints Join in” which is basically Psalm 148 set to modern music.

The psalm and song are essentially a call to all creation to praise its Creator.

From the angels, to the sun, the moon, and all the creatures in the sky, on the earth, and in the ocean; from the kings and princes, to the ordinary people young and old, adults and children.  All are called to praise the Lord.

Why?

For his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.  (Psalm 148:13)

In short, all glory belongs to him; and if all his creation is glorious, how much more glorious is he, and so worthy of our praise.

But more than that,

He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.  (14)

The horn is a symbol of power and strength in the Bible, and so it’s talking here about how when we are cast down, because we are close to his heart, he strengthens us and delivers us through all of our troubles.

This was seen in David’s life.  This was seen also in God’s restoration of Israel after their exile into Babylon.  It was also seen in the more modern restoration of Israel as a nation in 1948.

But this is perhaps best seen in how he sent Christ to be the horn of our salvation.  (Luke 1:69).

And when we were trapped in our sins, headed for eternal death, God sent his Son out of his great love for us.

Because we were close to his heart, he sent his Son not only to live on this earth and reveal himself to us, but to die on a cross and take the punishment for our sins.

And because he has done so, our sins have been forgiven, and we’ve been given new life.

God is truly worthy of all praise.  So let us all join in along with all creation, and as the psalmist exhorts us, praise the name of our Lord.

Categories
Psalms

Maintaining a heart of worship

Psalms

Psalm 134 is the last of the song of ascents, and it has been conjectured that it was sung after the pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem had been made, and the people were ready to go home.

And as they started on their journey home, they sang to those who were still working in the temple that evening,

Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.  (Psalm 134:1-2)

One word that gets lost in the NIV translation is the word, “Behold.”  The NASB puts it,

Behold, bless the Lord. (1)

In other words, “Hey!  Pay attention!  Remember to bless the Lord.”

The worshipers were exhorting the priests and Levites not to become lax in their duties, but to stay alert, and to continue worshiping and serving the Lord.

There’s a cross-reference in my Bible that is very interesting.

It points out that in I Chronicles 9:33 that there were Levites that were specifically designated for singing praises to God and it was their job to do so day and night.

Perhaps it was these people that the psalmist had in mind.

But whoever the psalmist was specifically addressing, it’s a reminder to all of us that God is never to be far from our thoughts day or night.

I was reading a book today about how cynicism can creep up into our thinking, and how it can affect our prayer life.

Cynicism creeps into our thinking mostly because we let God slip out from our hearts and minds.  We forget his love.  We start to doubt his goodness.

As a result, we start to wonder if it’s even worth our time praying to God, and because of this, our relationship with him drifts even further apart.

But when we keep a heart of thanksgiving in our hearts, and we remember who God is and his goodness towards us, it keeps cynicism from getting into our system and poisoning our spirits.

There are few things worse than a cynical priest, and it’s worth remembering that as God’s people, we are also his priests in this world.

How about you?  Are you letting cynicism poison your spirit?  Is it poisoning your attitude toward this world?  Toward your life?  Toward God?

Then let us refocus our hearts and minds.

Focus on God’s goodness.  Focus on his love for us.  Focus on all he’s done for us.  Bring back a heart of thanksgiving.  And all your cynicism will melt away and be replaced with God’s joy.

As the pilgrims departed, the priests called back to them,

May the LORD bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth.  (3)

As you go on through this journey in life, I pray that God may bless you with every spiritual blessing from heaven.

And may he purge you of all cynicism from your heart and fill you with his joy.

Categories
Psalms

When all nations worship

Psalms

This is the calm before the storm.  Here we have the shortest psalm in the Bible (as well as the shortest chapter), soon to be followed by the longest one.

I’m still not sure how I will tackle Psalm 119, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to be breaking it down into parts.

Psalm 117 has been called Messianic because it looks forward to the day when all nations will worship God.  The psalmist writes,

Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.  (Psalm 117:1)

The apostle Paul later uses this very verse to talk about how Christ came not only for the Jews, but for all people (Romans 15:11).

Why does he call all nations to praise him?  Two reasons.

First, for his great love toward us.  This love was shown to its fullest through Christ’s death on the cross for us.  Because of this, our sins can be forgiven, and we can actually become part of God’s family.

This caused the apostle John to cry out in praise,

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God ; and such we are.  (1 John 3:1)

Whether Jew, American, Japanese, or whatever race or nation you come from, God accepts all as his children who put their faith in Jesus.  Such is his great love for us.

The second reason we worship him is because his faithfulness endures forever.  He will never abandon us or cast us aside, no matter how much we fail.

Other translations give another aspect to this verse.  It says,

The truth of the Lord is everlasting.  (2)

In other words, God and his word never change.

We don’t have to worry about God being fickle with us.  About him saying one thing one day, and a completely contradictory thing the next.

He is consistent.  And because of that, we can put our trust in him without fear.

So as the psalmist closes this brief song,

Praise the LORD !  (2)

Categories
Psalms

The Creator and his creation

Psalms

And so we come to the end of book IV of the Psalms (actually it ends with Psalm 106, but we’ve already covered 105 and 106 earlier).

Whether David is the author of this psalm or not is unknown, but it does start the same way as Psalm 103.

Praise the Lord, my soul.  (Psalm 104:1)

But whereas in the previous psalm, David praised God for his love and mercy, here the psalmist praises Him for his creation.  And as he looks at creation he marvels at the awesomeness of God singing,

Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment.  (1-2)

As I read this, I can’t help but think of John’s words when he said,

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  (I John 1:5)

In other words, he is holy.  And so in the light, we see glimpses of his glory and his holiness.

The psalmist then marvels at the night sky, and how God stretches out the heavens, and as high as they are, they are but the foundation of his dwelling place, and the clouds are but his chariot.

Verse 4 as is originally written seems to refer to how even the wind and the lightning are his messengers and servants.  They proclaim his glory and do his will.

In the book of Hebrews, the writer uses this verse to talk about angels, and says they are merely God’s servants, as are the wind and fire, compared with Jesus who is uniquely the Son of God.

He then basically relates the Genesis account.  How God brought about dry land, created the plants, trees, and the animals.  How he created the times, days, and seasons.  How he provides food for all creation, and gives it its very life.

Having recounted all these things, the psalmist extols its creator singing,

How many are your works, Lord!  In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small.  (24-25)

Towards the end of the psalm he sings further,

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.  (31-32)

He then concludes by singing,

I will sing to the Lord all my life;I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.  (33-34)

When it comes down to it, that is what we need to remember from this psalm.  Because he is our Creator, he is worthy of our praise.

And so every day, we ought to praise him not only with our words, but with our thoughts, and actions as well.

For all who fail to do so, will perish (35a).

So as the psalmist wrote,

Praise the Lord, my soul.  Praise the Lord.  (35b)

Categories
Psalms

The one worthy of our praise and trust

Psalms

Psalm 95 is very interesting to me in that it starts out with great praise and rejoicing and concludes with a solemn warning.

You can easily hear the joy in the psalmist’s voice as he sings,

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.  (Psalm 95:1-2)

Why do we praise him?

  • He’s the great God. (3)
  • He’s King of kings and God above all gods. (3)
  • He’s our Creator.   (4-5)
  • Despite all these things, (or perhaps it’s better to say, “because of all these things”), he loves each one of us deeply and cares for us.  (7)

So the psalmist invites us,

Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker (6).

But then he gives us warning, saying,

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did.

For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.”

So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest.”  (7-11)

Twice in the desert, the Israelites failed to trust God, complaining about the lack of water.  This despite all that God had done for them in the past.

The second time complaining about water was especially egregious, leading to Moses’ sin of striking the stone that God had commanded him to speak to.  (Exodus 17:1-7, Numbers 20:1-13).

These were far from the only times that the Israelites failed to trust God.

The reason they wandered for 40 years was because they refused to enter the land God had promised to give them.  Instead they were determined to go back to Egypt.  (Numbers 13-14)

As a result, God told them, “You will never enter my rest.”

And so the psalmist warns us, “Don’t be like them.  Don’t be stiff-necked.  Humble yourselves before God and trust him.  For he is not only worthy of our praise, but of our trust.”

How about you?  Are you trusting God in all you do?  Are you doing things his way, or are you doing things your own?

If we trust him, we will find peace, rest, and joy in our lives.  But we will lose all these things if we insist on trusting in ourselves.

Who are you putting your trust in?

Categories
Psalms

Making music towards God

Psalms

Psalm 92 was written for the Sabbath.  As most people know, the Sabbath was a day that God told the Israelites to set aside in order to worship him.  That’s exactly what this psalm does.

I like verses 1-2.

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.  (Psalm 92:1-2)

Proclaiming your love in the morning.

Why is it important for us to do this?  It reminds us that there is hope as we face the day.  That whatever we may face during the day, that God is with us and that his hand is upon us.

Proclaiming your faithfulness at night.

At the end of the day, it’s good to look back on the day and to remember what good things God did for us.  To remember that even through the problems that confronted us, God didn’t leave us behind.  Rather, in love, he carried us through.

The psalmist expounds on this further, singing,

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!  (4-5)

Then similar to Psalm 1, he contrasts the wicked and the righteous.  He says first,

Though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.

But you, Lord, are forever exalted.

For surely your enemies, Lord, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.  (7-9)

But of the righteous, he sings,

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”  (12-15)

I love the latter part of that, especially.  That even into our old age, we will bear fruit, staying fresh and green.

I don’t want to be a withered shell when I grow old.  I want to stay fresh and vibrant, making a difference for God in the lives of everyone I touch.

But that’s what can happen if we fail to constantly make music in our hearts toward God.  If we fail to remember his love, his faithfulness, and his goodness.  If instead we let bitterness, greed, or the things of this world take root in our hearts.

So let us take the time every day to praise him.

Praise him in the morning.

Praise him in the evening.

Praise him every opportunity that you have during the day.

And set apart not only our days for him, but our hearts.

Categories
Psalms

The One worthy of our praise and our trust

Psalms

I’ve noted this before, but if you’ve noticed that we’ve “skipped” Psalm 32, we really haven’t.

I wrote about a number of the psalms when going through the life of David, so if you’re interested, just do a quick search on this blog under Psalm 32, and you’ll find it there.

I love how the psalmist opens this song.  He sings,

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.  (Psalm 33:1)

I like that second line.  “It is fitting for the upright to praise him.”

In other words, it’s only right that those who love the Lord and have been made righteous by his blood praise him.

And it doesn’t matter to God how we do it.  We can do it on the harp or lyre (or in these days, the guitar or piano).

We can sing to him acapella.  Or for those of us who are tone deaf, we can simply give a shout of praise.  (Although I don’t think God minds an off-tune song that comes from the heart).

The psalmist then writes why it is fitting for us to worship him.  We worship him because he himself is righteous and good.  Every word he speaks is right and true.

Not only that, unlike many of us, his actions actually match his words.  God is no hypocrite.

But not only is he righteous, he continually chooses to love us even though we fall.  Though we may fail him, his love towards us never fails.

We also worship him because he is our creator, and for the great power he showed in creating all things.

And we praise him for his great wisdom.  Nothing ever catches God by surprise, and because of that, his plans and purposes stand firm.

It is because of this last, that we see he’s worthy of something else.  He is worthy of our trust.

It’s hard to trust someone who is wishy-washy.  Who panics when things start spinning beyond his control.  Who is always changing his mind in an attempt to deal with things beyond his ken.

But because God sees all, because he knows all, and because he controls all, he is a rock upon which we can stand.

So those whom he has chosen and who belong to him are blessed.  As David wrote,

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.  (12)

He knows our name.  He sees us from heaven and considers all we do.  Not because he’s waiting to blast us for every mistake we make.  But because he loves and cares for us.  And he’s just waiting for us to turn our face to him.

But so often we don’t.  We place our trust in other things.  And yet too often, these things let us down.  The psalmist wrote,

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.  (16-17)

In contrast,

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.  (18-19)

This is no guarantee that we will not go through suffering.  But in the midst of our suffering, we can know that he has not forgotten us.  His eyes are always on us, and he will deliver us.

And even if we do not find his deliverance here on this earth, we will find our ultimate deliverance when we reach our final home in heaven.  As Paul wrote,

“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”  (I Corinthians 15:55)

And so the psalmist closes by saying,

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.  (20-22)

To that, I say amen and amen.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Categories
Psalms

The God who is just

Psalms

If there is one theme in Psalm 9, it’s God’s justice.

David says of God,

You have sat on your throne, judging righteously.  (Psalm 9:4)

And again,

He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.  (8)

And yet again,

The LORD is known by his justice.  (16)

This is not to say that we do not see evil in this world.  We do.  But David says of God,

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.

Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.

For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted…

the needy will not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish. (9-12, 18)

In other words, justice may be delayed in our eyes, but it will come.  And though we may go through times of trouble, we can know that God is still there and has not abandoned us.

Though we may suffer and it seems that God is distant, he is not ignoring us, but he hears each cry we make.  He has not forgotten us, but he will rise up to act on our behalf.

And when he does, let us remember to thank him for what he has done, as David did, who at the end of his trial sang,

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.  (1-2).