Today I am pondering the worship of God. The Bible in the book of Philippians chapter 2 verses 9 through 11 says this ...
God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (ESV)
As I consider the challenge we have received from Jesus to "Love God", I begin to consider what that means, how do I do that? My mind turns to passages like the one from Philippians above and I think about worship. To Love God must include worship. If we Love god we will demonstrate our Love in worship. This will include our Sunday morning service, our singing, our prayer, our reading of the Bible, our hearing the teaching and preaching of the Word, but also a whole lot more.
My Love for God is to display the Lordship of Jesus in my life. This is about a life of worship, not just a time of worship. Everything I do is to be in worship, displaying my Love for God. My thoughts conclude that this must be a part of my Love of God.
Then I realize that I do not measure up to this. I am not perfect in living a life of worship. I am not even close. I cannot even perfect a time of worship. I find myself distracted and wound up in the wrong mindset. Too often treating worship as something that "feeds me". Something that is about what "I like". Yet it is not supposed to be about me at all. It is supposed to be about God. About worshiping Him. About His honor and glory. Not about my preference, my style, my comfort. Worship, like my life, is to be all about Love for God.
And so I sense conviction. Conviction that I need to humbly walk in repentance for my self-centered attitudes. Conviction that I need to seek to Love God more and more. Conviction that the more I Love God the more He will change me. The more God changes me, for His purposes, then I will be able to glorify Him and honor Him better, living out my Love for God.
So I come to a conclusion that I need humble myself. So that I can Love God more which should result in glorifying God in a life of worship.
What about you?
Pastor Bruce
Today's sermon will come from John 2:13-25, and the theme is going to be "corruption". It can be a challenging topic. Often we apply this word to those in positions of power, sayings like "power corrupts & absolute power corrupts absolutely", are common in our modern culture. Yet I believe the Truth is far closer to home and far deeper in perspective.
Corruption starts with our sinful selfish state. Acts of sin are an outflow of our self centered nature we all receive as humans, passed on through our fathers because of the curse of the fall in Genesis. This sin and its outcomes will cause corruption if it is left unchecked. If no one brings correction and there is no repentance, the act of remorse and change from our sinful direction, then corruption will seep in. Corruption will eventually take power and authority and much damage will be done. Common examples we hear about have to do with money, lies and sex. But corruption can often fly beneath the radar for a long time.
Lets consider that people often do not like change. So instead of listening, praying and responding to God and the voice of the Holy Spirit. They make decisions based on what is "normal" or what is comfortable or easy. Yet if we are seeking to make decisions on our own, then we are sinning. If we have allowed such sinful practices to take control then corruption has set in and we are headed for trouble.
Anytime we are allowing our sin nature to be in a position of control we are in danger of corrupt behavior and decision making. Even things that seem harmless and acceptable can have deep consequences because we are not seeking to live under the Lordship of Christ. I am not saying that this is easy to avoid. It is hard.
We must be courageous, we must make the hard decisions to follow God and seek His voice, regardless of what "we want". Our own selves should not be the barometer for our decision making. Our likes, dislikes, emotions and traditions can not be trusted. God can be trusted. So please join with me in a stand to be courageous. Let us be Honest about our fears, hopes, dreams, challenges, etc.. yet let us walk with Integrity, not allowing such things to have a hold on us. May we be Transparent, not hiding our weakness and failures, but having a true spirit of humility so that God is glorified in us.
As we take on the path of courage, in following Jesus fully. Part of the path is for us to show great amounts of grace to our brothers and sisters who are struggling with their own selfishness and weakness. We are to walk with them and help them, not slaughter them like enemies. Such a negative attitude is from our prideful selves, please do not hold up righteousness in order to damage your brothers and sisters. True courage to follow Christ sets His glory first and follows the Biblical model for how we are to grow together.
Walk with humble courage!
Pastor Bruce
