Tag Archives: Worship

Lacking Direction

15 Monday Aug 2016

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Do you feel like your life lacks direction? Don’t know which way to turn?

There is a conversation in the Bible that might help.  In the book of Joshua chapter 5, Joshua has led the Hebrew people to the edge of the promised land. They have been waiting for this moment for decades. At this point, Joshua encounters Commander of the Army of the Lord, that’s the Bible’s way to talk about God. The reason God is meeting with Joshua is so that he can outline how they are going to get past the city of Jericho. That’s usually where people focus but there’s something important that happens first. Here’s how their conversation begins:

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”
14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”

Did you catch it?

“Are You for us or for our adversaries?”

What’s the answer?

“No.”

God answer suggests that Joshua was asking the wrong question. I suspect that most of us ask the same wrong questions.God, “Whose side are you on?”

For those of us not in battle mode, what we usually are asking is, “What’s your will for my life?”

God’s response points us in the right direction and it’s Joshua’s response that confirms it.

The real question is, “Whose is Joshua for?”

How often do we tend to tell God what we want and what he should do? How often do we determine in our minds who should be blessed and who should be “corrected?” We just assume that God is for us.

We would have a greater sense of direction and be more in harmony with God if we took Joshua’s attitude and said his words:

“What does my Lord say to His servant?”

 

Love Songs

17 Tuesday May 2016

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I have a distinct memory from when I was in my religious studies classes (not like it was decades ago – I was a mature student). One of my professors said, with great disdain, that many of the modern Christian songs sound like a love song couples might sing to each other. A few people gave an amen. A few chuckled. But I started pondering…

Of all the metaphors God gives for our relationship with him, the most intimate is that of husband and bride. I believe that God meets us where we are with the metaphor that best speaks to us but then moves us to greater and greater intimacy with him – to the marriage metaphor. When he returns the major imagery is a groom coming for his bride and when we are all reunited it’s called the wedding supper of the lamb.

I like songs about God – his majesty, salvation, and comfort but maybe it’s a good thing that many newer Christian songs are singing to God; like love songs that a couple might sing to each other.

Now, how about this: what if God was to sing songs to us? What would they sound like? He would have to put them into ways we will understand; an unfiltered God song would be beyond what we can imagine. Sometimes, I hear God singing to us in love songs. Today, I again heard John Legend’s “All of Me.” It occurred to me that it could easily be God singing to you and me, his beloved bride to be.  Check out some of the lyrics:

How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you’re crying you’re beautiful too
The world is beating you down, I’m around through every mood
You’re my downfall, you’re my muse
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can’t stop singing, it’s ringing, in my head for you

Check out Zephaniah 3:17: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

And to me, the chorus sounds like the cross:

‘Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I’ll give my all to you
You’re my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I’m winning
‘Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you.

What songs remind you of God’s love for you and his desire for you to be his forever bride?

The Three – Coming to Rest

25 Monday Aug 2014

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We’ve come to the end of this series. Thank for taking this journey with me. After this post we’ll go on to other things.

The Bible letter, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, is God’s last message to a dying planet. In Revelation 14:6-12, three angels shout a warning to “those who dwell on the earth;” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a message given in great love because God is willing to go to the uttermost to reach even his most aggressive enemies.

Revelation 14:11 states that those who have completely aligned themselves with the Beast, becoming beast-like themselves, “have no rest day or night…” Why is that?

There is a contentment and peace that comes from resting in God’s love and grace. It’s about no longer striving to prove yourself to others and to God. Those who dwell on the earth do not have a sense of love and belonging with God.

Instead, they are driven to prove their value; to prove their worth and by extension they must prove their salvation. Exhaustion is a status symbol because it proves they are productive and therefore valuable; being tired is a source of pride. Value is found in grades, awards, promotions and raises; on things like homes and cars, even in their children. Those who dwell on the earth wake up saying, “I didn’t get enough sleep.” They go to bed saying, “I didn’t get enough done.” And all day long they were saying, “I’m not enough.”

You see, those who dwell on the earth are prone to worshipping the beast because the beast plays their song. The beast’s message, the maddening wine of Babylon, tastes good to the inner being because it’s all about self – self-worth, self-salvation, self-worship.

Are you willing to accept Jesus’ invitation when he says to you: “Come to me, my weary and burdened child, and I will give you rest.”? Do you know God’s rest today?

The Three – The Beast part 1

25 Tuesday Feb 2014

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In the last letter of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, God sends a last message of warning to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is given by three angels to “those who dwell on the earth,” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a serious message – the consequences are life and death – and it’s a message given in great love because God is willing to go to the uttermost to reach even his most aggressive enemies.

Revelation 14:9-11 proclaims: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Revelation is all about worship. The book begins with the worship of Jesus and then it’s revealed in Revelation 12-13 that there is a counterfeit trinity that also wants to be worshipped. What is worship?

It’s the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for someone or something. What does that mean? Words that help us understand worship: veneration, glorification, glory, exaltation, admiration, adulation, idolization.

Worship is powerful and affects us to the core of who we are – we become or reflect what we worship. The last part of this warning message reveals the terrible consequences that come from worshipping the beast. The repeating of the warning stresses how important it is to hear it.

Wouldn’t it make sense to take time to understand who the beast is?

The Three – Worship

18 Wednesday Dec 2013

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I’ve been sharing some thoughts concerning the last message of warning given to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. Although this message is for “those who dwell on the earth,” people who are not in a relationship with God and don’t give God glory, it raises questions for all people.

The last part of the first angel’s message is: “Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

A central theme in the Revelation of Jesus Christ is worship. In Revelation 13, we see a counterfeit trinity – the dragon and the two beasts – and it seeks to be worshipped. To get what it wants this satanic triple threat resorts to deception and manipulation, even to the point of murder. Look at Revelation 13:11-12, 15: Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed… He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

God’s solution to this attack against humanity is to call people to worship him who made. Not to worship things. Not to worship people. Certainly not to worship the dragon who never made anything except trouble.

Now if we didn’t take in any context, it might seem like God is demanding worship. Those who believe the devil’s lies about God say he just a needy dictator who goes around saying, “Worship me, worship me.” Let’s be clear: God doesn’t need to be worshipped by us or anybody else. No, we need to worship him for our own good. The call to worship God is an act of love because everything else we worship is about to collapse; it’s about to a powerful vortex of destruction and God doesn’t want anyone to get sucked into it.

There’s actually a process in the passage that reveals God’s love. It begins with the everlasting Good News – God’s acceptance of us – God always takes the initiative because we are disabled, broken and lost. What happens when we accept God’s acceptance of us; when we trust in him and his desire to save us and bring us home? We begin a close, intimate, repentant relationship with our Lord and Saviour. We begin to know God and be known by God; often referred to as ‘fearing God.’ With faith in the Good News, really the truth about who God is, living in an ever-deepening relationship, we will begin to give God glory: loving God, others and even ourselves just like God loves us. When our lives are moving to the rhythm of God’s grace, we can’t help but have a life of gratitude – worshipping him who made.

The amazing thing is, if we don’t resist God’s love, this will happen automatically, moment by moment, day by day.

The Hour of Judgment

21 Thursday Nov 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

This is a message for those who dwell on the earth. Remember that’s a technical term the author John uses to speak about those who are hostile to God and the people who love God; they are angry and violent, deceived, enslaved and self-destructing. It’s a beautiful message because it reveals a God so loving that he goes to extreme lengths to rescue them and, if we’re honest, we can acknowledge that at one time or another, all of us resemble those who dwell on the earth.

I’ve asked you to consider the first angel’s message:
Fear God: In other words, God’s love and grace leads us to respect him; have reverence for him as Creator, King, and Redeemer, and that in turn leads to a healing relationship with him that has been described as intimately as a marriage.
Give him Glory: the way of God, his commandments, the principles of his kingdom all based on love must be our life – 24×7.

And why, should a person fear God and give him glory? Because the hour of his judgment has come.

There are a lot of facets to judgment in the Bible. I just want to share with you that the loud cry that judgment has come is a two sided alarm bell. Let’s say you’re a little fast and loose with your driving – roll through stop signs, don’t watch your speed, and so on. You know you could get caught one day, you may have to face the judge some day but you’re busy and no one’s getting hurt.

What happens when the day comes when those colourful lights appear in your rearview mirror? Suddenly you are awake; you instantly become aware of all the stupid behaviour you’ve ever done. The hour of judgment has come!

The larger context is that all the things other than God that we put upon all our hopes, dreams, and desires are self-destructing. The next angel tells us that Babylon is fallen! For those who dwell on the earth, the loud cry that the judgment has come is a wake up call, like a siren blast, saying: The time has run out, it’s time to fear God and give him glory; take his hand so he can rescue you from the destruction that’s coming.

Knowing this, can you see how loving this loud cry is? It’s really Good News. We don’t know when time will run out. We can see a sign here or there but the Bible makes it clear that the end will come suddenly; it will be surprising to most people. When the time comes the world will be turned upside down and inside out. God’s intention is that no one will be caught in the destruction.

I needed that wake up call. Do you need a wake up call today?

The Three – Subtext

23 Monday Sep 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

We’ve been looking at the context of Revelation 14. It’s contained within a letter that’s a Revelation of Jesus Christ and it’s an urgent, last message, to a dying world; a response to the work of Satan revealed in chapter 12 and 13.

The overarching theme or subtext of these chapters (actually a central theme in the entire letter): worship. Who will you worship? In whom will you place your hopes? Who has your allegiance and your best efforts? To whom does your heart belong?

Now this part may push your buttons. We tend to think of worship as something personalized; individual and a bit fluid. What these chapters tell us is that there are only two options: worship the beast, the counterfeit of Jesus Christ or worship the one true God, creator and redeemer.

So…?

The Three – Introduction

11 Wednesday Sep 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it?

I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find this urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

This passage has it all: angels, the entire world, fear and glory, judgment, worship, Babylon, adultery, beasts, wrath, and more. It ends with the dire message:

“There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

We already have some questions: What’s going on here? Why is this message in the Bible? Why do some parts sound horrific? Who is this message for and why is it being given?

Would you be willing to come along with me over the next few weeks as we seek the answers to these questions?