Worship (8)
“Follow God’s example . . . and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us. . . . Now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:1–2a, 8b–10 NIV).
With our Bibles open to 1 Corinthians 13, we began our 12-step meditation about God’s top priority for every disciple with this statement: “The most fulfilling journey in life is the path of a person who has an intimate relationship with God, and who faithfully follows Him. Is it the easiest path to walk? No. Is it the inside track to popularity? No. But is it the inside track to joy? Yes, for eternal reasons.”
As we now conclude our contemplation, let’s recap several highlights and then relate them to eternity:
- Our life on earth is mostly about relationships. And our life in eternity is all about one key relationship: our relationship with God.
- Any disciple who focuses only on growing in knowledge and skill will fail sooner or later. Why? Because “Knowledge + Skill – Character => Collapse.”
- A true follower of God is known for reflecting His love. The evidence of His love in that disciple will be Christlike character: “Knowledge + Skill + Character => Worship!”
- Our walk with God is our greatest witness to the work of God—and our worship of God.
Looking forward, we learn that our lifestyle values and choices on earth today impact rewards that God wants to give us in heaven tomorrow. For example, He virtually underlines His priority on Christlike character as He identifies various “crowns” that He will graciously grant to us:
- 1 Corinthians 9:25 speaks of an everlasting crown for running our race with self-discipline.
- James 1:12 describes a crown for enduring in our walk of love even under great duress.
- 2 Timothy 4:8 tells of the crown of righteousness for finishing our race with trustworthy integrity, not compromising our faith.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:19 reveals the crown of joy for diligent ministry through which souls are won and faithful walks matured.
- In 1 Peter 5:2–4 we learn of the crown of glory God has for disciples who set examples of kindness as they selflessly care about and help others.
“So . . . what is the bottom line?” you ask. Here’s what matters most to God: His will for you and me is that we make worship a lifestyle; that is, we honor God acceptably with our heart, mind, and strength. That is how we will “walk in love.” His Spirit in us will enable us. Alleluia!
Shall we?
© 2018 John C Garmo
“Love . . . does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail” (1 Corinthians 13:6 AMPC).
Throughout this series on 1 Corinthians 13, we see clearly that what matters most to God in a disciple is that person’s agape love.
Verse six identifies another way in which that love shows. A disciple can be trusted to do what is right and say what is true. That is, this person has trustworthy integrity.
This disciple does not deceive, does not slander, and does not behave in unwise ways. We can describe “integrity” as “showing we can be trusted to do what is right and say what is true.”
Earlier in this letter to Corinthian Christians, Paul confronted them with their toleration of—and perhaps their devious delight in gossiping about—something that was blatantly unrighteous: immorality within their congregation (1 Corinthians 5).
He also called them out on their embarrassing mismanagement of disputes with each other. Rather than settling disagreements within their family of believers, they took each other to court—weakening their witness by airing their dispute in front of a pagan judge and a pagan public.
“Your lawsuits show that you’ve lost [to Satan] already. Why not be wronged or cheated, rather than retaliate by wronging or cheating your own family of believers?” asked Paul (I Corinthians 6:7–8).
Here’s some good news in tough situations: When—not if—someone or some situation tests our commitment to do what is right or say what is true, it gives us another opportunity to worship. To worship is to “honor God acceptably with our heart, mind and strength.” When pressured to compromise our integrity, we can worship by standing firm on this reality: Since God is sovereign, my response to this situation is more important in His eyes than my situation itself.
God’s Word is clear about His countercultural desire for us to do what is right and say what is true:
Lord, who can dwell in Your tent? Who can live on Your holy mountain?
The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness,
and acknowledges the truth in his heart —
who does not slander with his tongue, who does not harm his friend or discredit his neighbor,
who despises the one rejected by the Lord but honors those who fear the Lord,
who keeps his word whatever the cost,
who does not lend his money at interest or take a bribe against the innocent —
the one who does these things will never be moved. (Psalm 15 HCSB).
Privately or with some friends, here are several questions to ponder:
- How does our trustworthy integrity reveal our convictions about God?
- On whom are we focusing—and not focusing—when we compromise our integrity?
- How is trustworthy integrity an act of worship?
- How do you expect that your commitment to trustworthy integrity will be tested this week?
© 2018 John C Garmo
A few years ago, I shared with a friend how I used to enjoy playing guitar and leading worship in my early days as a Christian.
“Do you still play?” she asked.
“Oh no, I gave that up long ago,” I replied.
Showing her the finger tips on my left hand, I continued, “See, I don’t even have calluses anymore.”
It was a pretty straightforward conversation—or so I thought. But as I was praying later that day, I distinctly heard the Lord tell me, “Jim, if you had more calluses on your fingers, you would have fewer calluses on your heart.”
How convicting! I saw that when I laid down my guitar several decades ago, I also began to drift away from intimacy with the Lord in my private worship times.
Then a few weeks ago, I was sharing this story with a friend named Justin, and he perceptively asked me, “So, Jim, did you get your calluses back after that?”
I was horrified to admit that I’d taken no action at all after God so clearly rebuked me. But I assured my friend that I wouldn’t procrastinate any longer.
“The next time you see me, make sure to ask me about my calluses,” I urged him. “If I still haven’t picked up my guitar and started worshiping the Lord in my personal devotions, tell me I’m a hypocrite!”
Thankfully, I’ve taken action this time. I’m getting my calluses back, ready for my friend to ask me that question.
Both my guitar playing and my worship are very rusty, however. I’ve found that it takes a while to develop calluses on your fingers again—or to remove them from your heart.
Don’t expect to see me leading worship in public anytime soon. I’ve long since recognized that other people are far more gifted.
But I want to make private worship a more intentional part of my life, regularly listening for God’s voice and asking Him to soften my heart.
Quoting Isaiah 6:10, Jesus warned about the danger of allowing calluses to form on our hearts: (Matthew 13:15). What a tragic condition. Yet all too common, I’m afraid.
Like calluses on our fingers, callused hearts develop gradually, over time. If the condition progresses, we ultimately find ourselves in a situation just as the Bible predicts: spiritually unable to hear or see.
If you notice calluses on your heart today, the key isn’t necessarily to develop calluses on your fingers instead. But the process is working for me.
One thing is for sure: Without regularly experiencing God’s presence, our hearts will inevitably grow hard. Like a desert that seldom experiences rain, we become spiritually dry and emotionally barren.
If you truly want to reverse hardness of heart, here’s a homework assignment: Read Psalm 95 in its entirely and ask the Lord to restore you to a heart of worship…listening…and responding. Write down what He tells you to do, and find a friend like Justin to hold you accountable to do it.
According to a popular legend, sixteenth-century Spanish explorer Ponce de León discovered Florida while searching for the Fountain of Youth. Many people are still looking for the Fountain of Youth in Florida today, but that’s not the subject of this blog.
Many explanations have been offered for what motivated this wild-goose chase. One historian speculated that the adventurous conquistador mistook the natives’ word “vid” (vine) for “vida” (life), which transformed their “fountain vine” into an imagined “fountain of life.”
In some ways, we probably should give Ponce de León kudos rather than ridicule. If you thought you could experience a Fountain of Youth, wouldn’t you do just about anything to find it?
But the folly of his pursuit was in thinking there’s some kind of external substance that can ensure never-ending youth and vitality. In contrast, Jesus told the woman at the well in Sychar, “The water that I shall give…will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
Do you see the difference here? Instead of providing us with a life-giving fountain to swim in, Jesus says the living water will be IN us, springing up into eternal life.
The beauty of the gospel is that it transforms us from the inside out. There’s no need to find an external fountain, whether in Florida or somewhere else. Instead, we can find this fountain anywhere you are. And rather than just being a Fountain of Youth, the fountain Jesus offers is a fountain of eternal life.
However, despite the availability of this amazing eternal transformation, many people today are still making the same mistake as Ponce de León. They’re trying to preserve their youthfulness through external remedies—things like money…sex…power…friends…fitness…and fun. But while the Lord may indeed give us such things, at best they provide only a very limited Fountain of Youth.
Meanwhile, God offers us something much better than outside-in solutions. The Bible describes how we can go from weakness to strength and weariness to renewal through the transforming power of the Spirit:
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:28-31).
Youthfulness, like just about any other issue of life, is primarily a matter of your heart, not your skin. As King David discovered, one of the benefits of worshiping the Lord from your heart is that “your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5).
So the choice is yours. Will you follow in the footsteps of Ponce de León and focus your attention on outward appearances? Or will you become radiantly renewed in the presence of the Lord, giving priority to “the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:4)?
In Revelation 21:6 we’re given a glimpse of those who will drink of “the fountain of the water of life” at the end of time. Thirst is their key trait, which is good news if you’re thirsty today. You don’t have to search the world for something to make you happy and keep you young. You just need to come into God’s presence and drink.
No Christian musician ever influenced me as much as Andrae Crouch did. In fact, I modeled my own “music ministry” after his.
Of course, I stunk as a singer and musician, and my attempt to become a contemporary Christian artist ended the day a friend told me, “Jim, your singing is hoarse and out of key, but at least you sing with feeling.”
Oh well. It was painful, but I got the message.
Although I quit singing much in public after that, in my private devotions I always aspired to be more like Andrae Crouch. He sang with feeling too, and I could relate.
I was privileged to see Andrae in concert on numerous occasions. The first time was at an outdoor concert, where I chatted briefly with him as he walked through the crowd and listened to the other groups on the stage before him. Although his group, Andrae Crouch and the Disciples, was the headliner of the day, he was just an approachable, humble brother in the Lord behind the scenes.
But I was the most impacted by a concert in Dayton, Ohio. Andrae’s group was the final act, and I remember sitting through some incredibly boring Southern Gospel groups who came on first.
When the moment finally came for Andrae to take the stage, he was introduced by a rather obnoxious local DJ. For what seemed like an eternity, the DJ went on and on about how great Andrae was, citing all the awards he had already won and all the #1 songs he had written.
The DJ’s introduction was over-the-top, nauseating HYPE, pure and simple. He seemed to be preparing the crowd for Andrae Crouch to suddenly descend from heaven in a cloud of smoke or walk on water as he took the stage. I couldn’t help wondering how Andrae was going to begin his concert after such an uproarious introduction.
The DJ eventually ran out of accolades and declared loudly, “HERE HE IS, GRAMMY AND DOVE AWARD-WINNER, ANDRAE CROUCH!!!”
Despite the hype that preceded him, Andrae took the stage without saying a word. He didn’t greet the audience or even look our way. Nor did he start his concert with a rousing song to match the hype of the DJ’s introduction.
Instead, Andrae quietly sat down on his piano bench, looked toward heaven, and began singing one of my favorite songs: “Thank You, Lord. I just want to thank You, I just want to thank You…for all you’ve done for me.”
The scene still brings tears to my eyes today. Many of us would have fallen into the trap of believing the hype and accepting the accolades for ourselves. But not Andrae Crouch.
Even at the height of his popularity and acclaim, Andrae was careful to lay down his crowns and trophies at the feet of Jesus. You see, that’s what we’ll all do in eternity, but Andrae was wise and humble enough to get a head start on glorifying God while he was still alive.
Today Andrae Crouch is no doubt singing in a much more anointed group than he ever experienced on earth. Casting down their crowns before the Lord’s throne, I’m sure they are singing passionately:
You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created (Revelation 4:11)
Thank You, Lord, for Andrae Crouch. To You be the glory for a life so well spent.
We don’t know the exact time frame of the journey made by “wise men from the East” in search of young King Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12). It may have been several months or even a few years after Jesus’ birth when they arrived at Herod’s palace and asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (v. 1)
But while some of the details of their journey may be unclear, there’s much we can learn from the wonderful example set by the magi:
1. They made it a priority to pursue the Lord (v. 1). These men came from a great distance to encounter the Savior. They weren’t just casual believers, but were committed to having a personal encounter with the newborn King. In the same way, shouldn’t we make it a priority to pursue the Lord and spend time in His presence?
2. They came to worship Him (v. 2). Right from the beginning, the magi made the purpose of their journey clear: “We have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” May that be our focus as well during this Christmas season. Instead of being distracted by all the trappings of the holidays, let’s take time to worship Jesus!
3. Nothing could divert them from their mission (vs. 3-8). When God gives us a dream to pursue, we often have to deal with a “King Herod” who tries to distract us along the way. The magi truly proved to be “wise men,” able to discern that King Herod had no intention of furthering their mission. In the same way, we must avoid the influence of toxic people and naysayers during the holiday season.
4. They not only worshiped Jesus with their words and their time, but they also worshiped Him with a generous offering. “When they had opened their treasures, they presented to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (v. 11). If we have a genuine encounter with our Savior, the King of Kings, how can we not honor Him with our possessions? True worship demands nothing less. Our treasure and our heart are always linked together (Matthew 6:21).
5. They returned home “another way” (v. 12). Genuine worship will transform us and cause us to walk on a different path than we started on. If necessary, we’ll even be given supernatural direction or “divinely warned in a dream.” As you worship Jesus this holiday season, He wants to instruct you, change your life, and give you the breakthrough you need!
This Christmas, may the Lord give you a fresh revelation of His LOVE for you—love that took Him from the glories of Heaven to a dusty stable in Bethlehem…to a Cross on a Jerusalem hillside…to the right hand of God’s throne in Heaven…so that you might spend eternity with Him.
“For rich people, the sky is just an extra, a gift of nature. The poor, on the other hand, can see it as it really is: an infinite grace.” (Albert Camus)
“The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to” (Carl Sandburg)
Tonight at 9:38 p.m. ET, the full moon will mark the third consecutive month with a Supermoon. When it is closest to Earth in its orbit, the moon will appear larger and brighter than usual.
In some regions clouds and showers may make it difficult to observe this stunning moon. But if you are privileged to get a glimpse of this harvest moon, take a moment to let your heart be filled with wonder at the majesty and mystery of God’s handiwork.
Pause to reflect on the handiwork of the Almighty.
“Then God said, ‘Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights shine down on the earth.’ God made the smaller light to govern the night.” (Genesis 1:14-16 NLT]
Pause to humbly thank your Maker for watching over you and caring for you in the orbit of your life.
“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” [Psalm 8:3 NLT]
Pause to worship your Creator and offer a prayer of praise to the One who shepherds you every day and season of your life.
“Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him all you twinkling stars! Let every created thing give praise to the Lord.” [Psalm 148:3, 5 NLT)
Johnny R. Almond
Christian preacher and writer
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity
http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/
