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Friday, July 17th, 2009
There was a time in the prophet Daniel’s life when he prayed to God for an answer, but the answer was delayed - by an angelic battle! - for 3 weeks (Daniel 10:12-13). And he was in mourning the whole time (Daniel 10:2). Then when the angel finally showed up with the answer, he explained the reason for the delay.
Daniel didn’t know why it took so long. Sometimes we don’t either.
So if you’re feeling discouraged, like God isn’t hearing your prayers, remember that things may not be what they seem. Press in. Hold tight. Draw near to God. He will draw near to you.
Read full post...
There was a time in the prophet Daniel’s life when he prayed to God for an answer, but the answer was delayed - by an angelic battle! - for 3 weeks (Daniel 10:12-13). And he was in mourning the whole time (Daniel 10:2). Then when the angel finally showed up with the answer, he explained the reason for the delay.
Daniel didn’t know why it took so long. Sometimes we don’t either.
So if you’re feeling discouraged, like God isn’t hearing your prayers, remember that things may not be what they seem. Press in. Hold tight. Draw near to God. He will draw near to you.
Question: What Are Your Reading Recommendations?
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
I need to read more. Reading sharpens the mind, broadens the perspective and strengthens the reader. Now, I’m usually reading something, but lately I’ve let life grab me by the throat and toss my schedule around like a limp dishrag. But I need to make a comeback.
So I’m thinking of starting with John Piper’s Life As A Vapor, but I’m not sure. So tell me if you have any must-reads on your reading list.
Read full post...
I need to read more. Reading sharpens the mind, broadens the perspective and strengthens the reader. Now, I’m usually reading something, but lately I’ve let life grab me by the throat and toss my schedule around like a limp dishrag. But I need to make a comeback.
So I’m thinking of starting with John Piper’s Life As A Vapor, but I’m not sure. So tell me if you have any must-reads on your reading list.
A Worshiper Treasures God
Sunday, April 12th, 2009
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
- Matthew 13:44 (ESV)
The Worth of God
You can’t talk about worship for very long without talking about the worth of God. Commentators sometimes point out that the Old English word from which we derive the English word “worship” is weorthscipe or worth-ship, reminding us that to worship is to “ascribe worth” to the object of our worship.
Of course, “ascribing worth” to God does not increase His worthiness; rather, it recognizes His intrinsic worth and expresses how much He is worth to us personally (and corporately, for that matter). Worship, then, doesn’t begin with an outward act, but an inward attitude, an ultimate regard for God that then overflows in external expression.
Treasuring the Treasure
The two-sentence story Jesus tells in Matthew 13:44 never uses the word “worship,” but it gets right to the heart of the issue. The intrinsic worth of the object the man found is expressed in the use of the word “treasure,” but the we don’t see what the treasure means to the man until we see his reaction to it. And from his reaction, we can see that he indeed “treasures” the treasure!
Note what he does. He doesn’t sing songs to the treasure or visit it every Sunday from 10:00 to 11:30. No, first he hides it so he won’t lose it to someone else, then he runs out and sells everything he has to get enough money to buy the hiding place. Maybe I said that too fast: everything he has.
Not grudgingly or hesitantly. Joyfully! To him, this treasure means everything. Worth more than every other possession in his life. And there’s the heart of worship (Exodus 20:3).
Ascribing Worth to God
When God becomes our treasure, everything else in our lives bows to Him in worship. Our inner attitude will shape our outer choices. Sometimes radically so.
Our love for Him will inform our priorities, influence our decisions and, at times, interrupt our schedules. We will cherish opportunities to tell others what He’s like and what He’s done. And we’ll anticipate those times of worship when we can express to Him directly how great He is and much he means to us.
The heart that treasures God is a heart that has discovered what it means to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Joyfully!
*This post originally appeared on Chris’ personal blog, Sing Louder Musings.
Read full post...
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
- Matthew 13:44 (ESV)
The Worth of God
You can’t talk about worship for very long without talking about the worth of God. Commentators sometimes point out that the Old English word from which we derive the English word “worship” is weorthscipe or worth-ship, reminding us that to worship is to “ascribe worth” to the object of our worship.
Of course, “ascribing worth” to God does not increase His worthiness; rather, it recognizes His intrinsic worth and expresses how much He is worth to us personally (and corporately, for that matter). Worship, then, doesn’t begin with an outward act, but an inward attitude, an ultimate regard for God that then overflows in external expression.
Treasuring the Treasure
The two-sentence story Jesus tells in Matthew 13:44 never uses the word “worship,” but it gets right to the heart of the issue. The intrinsic worth of the object the man found is expressed in the use of the word “treasure,” but the we don’t see what the treasure means to the man until we see his reaction to it. And from his reaction, we can see that he indeed “treasures” the treasure!
Note what he does. He doesn’t sing songs to the treasure or visit it every Sunday from 10:00 to 11:30. No, first he hides it so he won’t lose it to someone else, then he runs out and sells everything he has to get enough money to buy the hiding place. Maybe I said that too fast: everything he has.
Not grudgingly or hesitantly. Joyfully! To him, this treasure means everything. Worth more than every other possession in his life. And there’s the heart of worship (Exodus 20:3).
Ascribing Worth to God
When God becomes our treasure, everything else in our lives bows to Him in worship. Our inner attitude will shape our outer choices. Sometimes radically so.
Our love for Him will inform our priorities, influence our decisions and, at times, interrupt our schedules. We will cherish opportunities to tell others what He’s like and what He’s done. And we’ll anticipate those times of worship when we can express to Him directly how great He is and much he means to us.
The heart that treasures God is a heart that has discovered what it means to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Joyfully!
*This post originally appeared on Chris’ personal blog, Sing Louder Musings.
A Worshiper Engages With God
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
- Psalm 27:8 (ESV)
God the Initiator
From the beginning of time, God’s people have been called to engage with God Himself. In fact, God has always been the initiator in that calling. He came to the garden in the cool of the day to walk with Adam & Eve. He called His people out of Egypt to hold a feast to Him (Exodus 5:1). He said to David, “Seek my face.” And today, He seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and truth (John 4:23). He speaks and His sheep, recognizing His voice, follow Him (John 10:27). Again and again, God initiates and calls and pursues people to engage with Him.
A Lifestyle of Engaging
It sounds so simple to say that worshipers “engage with God,” but it is also profoundly true. I say this realizing that the implication is that there are those in the church who do not engage with God. Maybe they don’t know how, or don’t know that God wants them to. Maybe they’re too busy. Maybe they are more comfortable engaging with the church and Christian activities than with God Himself. Or one of a hundred other reasons.
But what I am saying is that worship & engaging with God are matters of discipleship, and can be nurtured and deepened in a believer’s life. I am also saying they are not limited to service time on Sunday morning! The invitation is 24/7. The calling is constant.
Responding to the Invitation
A worshiper is someone who has learned to recognize that invitation and respond to it. They seek God, talk to Him and listen for His voice. They draw near to God (James 4:8), run to Him with thanks and praise (Luke 17:15-16), with need (Hebrews 4:16), or with confession (Psalm 51).
Worshipers are inspiring people to have in your life because, due to their familiarity with God’s voice and ways, they can see God in places where others can’t, and they recognize his hand behind life’s circumstances, and they love to bring Him into any and every situation.
Has anyone got the corner on this market? Of course not, but worshipers are simply those who are deliberate about their pursuit of and engagement with God. They know it’s a process, but they are glad to be intentional about it.
*This post originally appeared on Chris’ personal blog, Sing Louder Musings.
Read full post...
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
- Psalm 27:8 (ESV)
God the Initiator
From the beginning of time, God’s people have been called to engage with God Himself. In fact, God has always been the initiator in that calling. He came to the garden in the cool of the day to walk with Adam & Eve. He called His people out of Egypt to hold a feast to Him (Exodus 5:1). He said to David, “Seek my face.” And today, He seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and truth (John 4:23). He speaks and His sheep, recognizing His voice, follow Him (John 10:27). Again and again, God initiates and calls and pursues people to engage with Him.
A Lifestyle of Engaging
It sounds so simple to say that worshipers “engage with God,” but it is also profoundly true. I say this realizing that the implication is that there are those in the church who do not engage with God. Maybe they don’t know how, or don’t know that God wants them to. Maybe they’re too busy. Maybe they are more comfortable engaging with the church and Christian activities than with God Himself. Or one of a hundred other reasons.
But what I am saying is that worship & engaging with God are matters of discipleship, and can be nurtured and deepened in a believer’s life. I am also saying they are not limited to service time on Sunday morning! The invitation is 24/7. The calling is constant.
Responding to the Invitation
A worshiper is someone who has learned to recognize that invitation and respond to it. They seek God, talk to Him and listen for His voice. They draw near to God (James 4:8), run to Him with thanks and praise (Luke 17:15-16), with need (Hebrews 4:16), or with confession (Psalm 51).
Worshipers are inspiring people to have in your life because, due to their familiarity with God’s voice and ways, they can see God in places where others can’t, and they recognize his hand behind life’s circumstances, and they love to bring Him into any and every situation.
Has anyone got the corner on this market? Of course not, but worshipers are simply those who are deliberate about their pursuit of and engagement with God. They know it’s a process, but they are glad to be intentional about it.
*This post originally appeared on Chris’ personal blog, Sing Louder Musings.
What Is A Worshiper?
Sunday, April 5th, 2009
I believe all Christians are called to be worshipers. It’s not the realm of the few, the privileged or the musically-inclined. In fact, I believe God shaped the entire human existence to create a sharp thirst for the things of God, even if people can’t identify that their deepest longings are for the true God. And these longings are ultimately satisfied only in the experience known as worship.
How it breaks my heart that so many Christians hold such an shallow view of worship. Say “worship” and the discussion almost always turns only to singing songs and the church hour on Sunday morning. Or, after talking about it for a while, perhaps we end up generically labeling every kind of religious activity as “worship” simply because we realize we’ve had too narrow a definition.
Very rarely does the conversation seem to turn toward simply engaging with God, treasuring him or delighting in his glory. But what a treasure it is, indeed, to taste and see the goodness of God in this way. Christians, we’re called to engage with God, to treasure him above everything else, and to find our greatest delight in seeing Jesus glorified.
I guess in a nutshell, that’s what I consider a worshiper to be: someone who lives a lifestyle of engaging with God, treasuring him above everything else, and delighting to see him glorified in your life or someone else’s.
I’ll be commenting on these three facets of a worshiper and their implications, but that’s the elusive definition I think so many of us need to hear.
*This post originally appeared on Chris’ personal blog, Sing Louder Musings.
Read full post...
I believe all Christians are called to be worshipers. It’s not the realm of the few, the privileged or the musically-inclined. In fact, I believe God shaped the entire human existence to create a sharp thirst for the things of God, even if people can’t identify that their deepest longings are for the true God. And these longings are ultimately satisfied only in the experience known as worship.
How it breaks my heart that so many Christians hold such an shallow view of worship. Say “worship” and the discussion almost always turns only to singing songs and the church hour on Sunday morning. Or, after talking about it for a while, perhaps we end up generically labeling every kind of religious activity as “worship” simply because we realize we’ve had too narrow a definition.
Very rarely does the conversation seem to turn toward simply engaging with God, treasuring him or delighting in his glory. But what a treasure it is, indeed, to taste and see the goodness of God in this way. Christians, we’re called to engage with God, to treasure him above everything else, and to find our greatest delight in seeing Jesus glorified.
I guess in a nutshell, that’s what I consider a worshiper to be: someone who lives a lifestyle of engaging with God, treasuring him above everything else, and delighting to see him glorified in your life or someone else’s.
I’ll be commenting on these three facets of a worshiper and their implications, but that’s the elusive definition I think so many of us need to hear.
*This post originally appeared on Chris’ personal blog, Sing Louder Musings.