Blog: When We Worship

Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge. – Proverbs 23:12

If you are like me, when I am assembling a new piece of furniture or one of my kid’s toys I take a glance at the manual, but then move right on to getting my hands dirty and trying to put all the pieces together. Inevitably, and in many cases, I reach a point where I get stuck and have to take another look at the manual in order to finish the project. Over the years, I have realized that it is advantageous to follow the manual step by step. If I do, it saves me a lot of time and heartache!

The same is true in our walk with the Lord. He gave us the best gift we could ever receive (our salvation), and He gave us a Manual (the Bible) to show us how to work out that salvation. He wants us to work it out with Him. He wants relationship! He invites us to walk closely, and step by step with Him. He even gives us His Holy Spirit to reveal His Word to us, and lead us into all Truth. If you don’t have a daily habit of reading your Bible, I want to encourage you to start. Not out of any legalistic or religious motivation, but as a matter of relationship. God has prepared a table before you, He has a storehouse of wisdom just waiting, and He wants to reveal His Son Jesus in you, to you, and through you. Steal some time back from yourself and others, and give it to Jesus!

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father, Your Words are spirit and life to me! I will apply my heart to Your instruction. Reveal Yourself through Your Word as I draw near. In Jesus name, amen.

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” – ‭‭John‬ ‭8:36‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Freedom does not mean that we have the ability to do whatever we want. That is called license. The Bible teaches us that freedom and liberty in God’s Kingdom means that we are no longer living according to our own dictates, desires, and limitations. We are not tied down by sin and self, but instead we have been empowered and released by God to serve His purpose and will.

God loves free people! He does not want us to be tied down again by the weight of sin, the cares of this life, our own agenda, or even our own affections. His desire for you and I is that we be unencumbered, uncomplicated, and unhindered messengers of the Good News about Jesus! I encourage you, beloved one, to lift those hands of yours to God and invite Him to have His way, receive the Spirit of servanthood, the Spirit of adoption as a son or daughter of the Lord, the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. If the Son makes you free, you are free indeed!

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus, I was once a slave to sin, but thank You for setting me free to serve You! I set my own agenda and desires aside so that I can receive the life of Your Spirit, and walk in true freedom. In Jesus name, amen.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:21

Jesus has overcome sin, death, and darkness. On the Cross, He took upon Himself the weight of it all, and rose in triumphant victory. He did what no one else could do! The Word tells us that we are overcomers with Him if we endure to the end. In this life we will encounter many things that are evil. Yet, we are not to be overcome by these things, but by God’s grace we are to give the Lord glory and stand as living breathing proof of His overcoming power in the midst of it all.

So then, how do we overcome evil?

We overcome by doing good! I am not talking about works that come out of our own human goodness or best intentions. I am talking about being vessels for God’s goodness. Only God is good (Lk. 18:19). That is who He is. It is His very nature. May we come to God and humbly ask Him for His Spirit so that when we are mistreated we might treat people with love and kindness, when we encounter injustice we might deal justly with others, and when dishonored we would be honoring. Be encouraged that Your God has overcome the world and you are the victory of God! The same overcoming Spirit that Jesus walked in is the Spirit that now lives in you. If the world is going to see the victory of Jesus Christ may they see His victory in us – a people who’s lives are surrendered and laid down before Lord – a people in whom God is having His way!

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Spirit Who is the power to live an overcoming life. Let me be a vessel You can use to dismantle the works of darkness with Your overcoming goodness! In the victorious name of Jesus, amen.

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. – James 2:13

Mercy is God’s idea, and it rests at the very center of His heart. That is why He is called the “Father of mercies” (2 Cor. 1:3). Did you know that there can be no mercy apart from judgement? The whole reason for mercy is that one has been judged as deserving punishment and consequences for wrongdoing. On the other hand, judgement without mercy is not something anyone wants to experience. Mercy never downplays wrongdoing. Instead, it lifts us out of sin and condemnation, and makes a way for forgiveness and right relationship with God.

Mercy always wins out over judgement. It is like a buoy floating amidst a sea of judgement. No matter how high the waters of judgment rise, mercy remains on top! God is able to extend His mercy to us because Jesus took on the consequences and payment for our sin when He died on the Cross. God expects us to extend His mercy to others who need it just like we do! If we don’t show mercy to others, mercy will not be shown to us. Let us not get caught up in right and wrong alone, but be eager to show mercy and to do so cheerfully!

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” – Matthew 5:7

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for showing me mercy through Jesus! Give me Your Spirit, and I will be faithful to share Your mercy with others. In Jesus name, amen.

Happy is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. – Proverbs 28:14

There is a joy, a quiet confidence, and a simplicity about the man or woman who reveres the Lord. They will have good days and bad days like everyone, but because God has given them a keen sense of His presence, authority, and purpose they live by faith knowing that He is working all things together for good. They will encounter temptation, but the fear of the Lord will lead them to live in such a way that commends them to God, and by the Spirit they give Him glory. This joy is not what is offered to us by the world, it is not dependent on our circumstance, or our feelings. It is a lightheartedness, a cheerfulness, and a freedom from care that belongs to those who walk closely with Jesus.

A reverent happy person is one whose whole life is spent drawing near to God in the Word, in prayer, and by being present and accounted for amongst God’s people. His or her life is one of relationship with God, and a continual pouring out and loving others the way the Lord has loved them. May the Lord find us drawing near continually, may He find us believing today, and may He find us walking before Him faithfully and joyfully!

Let’s pray…

Lord, I draw near to You! Teach me to revere, and to walk before You. I thank You for the blessed assurance, joy, and simplicity that comes with walking obediently and closely with You. In Jesus name, amen.

“When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.” – Matthew 14:14-20

Oh the greatness of our God! Nothing is impossible for Him, He IS our healing, He IS our provision, He IS the resurrection and the life, He IS everything we need. When Jesus is present anything is possible. He is not constrained to the natural things that constrain us. We are limited creatures, God has made us that way, and those limits are a gift. But let’s not think for a second that Jesus has to fit into our limits, our time table, our schedule, or our ways of doing things. What would we talk like and live like if we looked at the impossible as an opportunity for God to move? The disciples knew that they did not have enough to feed everyone, and their solution was to send them away. They were thinking practically. Not spiritually. They did not know that Jesus was about to blow their minds, and increase their faith!

“And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”

Do your circumstances or the needs of others who depend on you outweigh your abilities and resources? Well, perhaps that is by design. Perhaps Jesus has lead you here, and it is an opportunity to depend on Him and not yourself. Jesus will never ask you to do something that you don’t need Him for! He doesn’t expect you and I to do great things. He expects us to come to Him and offer up what we have and watch as He does great things! God can do a lot with little. Perhaps your five loaves and two fish looks like writing that note of encouragement, taking that brother or sister out to coffee, simply showing up to church to serve with a willing and joyful heart, or smiling at that person who hasn’t seen a smile in a while. The people of God feed off of what the Lord does with those little loaves and fish! God doesn’t need you, but He chose you. If others are going to taste and see that the Lord is good, they are going to taste and see His goodness through you.

Let’s pray…

Awesome God, nothing is impossible for You. I offer up my meager resources, and by faith believe that You out of Your limitless resource will do far more with my less. Use me to encourage and strengthen others in their faith, and together may we learn to trust You for every need. In Jesus name, amen.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. – Ephesians 5:1-2

Jesus is the perfect display of what it means to walk in love…because He is love. As God’s children, we ought to be known by our love for one another. Not for our politics, our positions on issues, our denomination, our talents, or our methods. We are to be known for and called to walk in God’s love.

God’s love is able to outlast and out-do every work of darkness. His love overcomes every obstacle, it never fails, and it always wins! Love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs. It is not rash or reckless, but durable, relentless, and long suffering! It shows kindness when mistreated. It lays down it’s life, it’s rights, and welfare so that others might live. It is the fulfillment of all God’s commands. This is the love God has placed in our hearts by His Holy Spirit, may we walk in this love, His love.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus, apart from You I can do nothing. Pour out your Spirit afresh, and let my life truly be a display of the same love You have shown me. Thank You for the opportunity to walk in Your love, I will do so gladly today! Amen.

“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” – James 1:25

When we hear the Truth of God’s Word we are often times quick to say, “Yes and amen!” We believe. That’s right and good, but we must not stop there. Our faith must make its way to our hands and feet. James is not holding back any punches when he tells us plainly that if we hear the Word and don’t put it into practice we are like someone who looks at the mirror on the wall, and goes about his day not remembering what he saw. The Word is like a mirror that reflects back to us who we are, and who God is making us to be. We need to be able to see ourselves in the Word, and we ought to be able to see the Word being worked out through us.

When you read the Word pay attention when a particular verse or passage jumps off the page at you. I believe that is God putting His finger on something, and that He wants us to look intently and not just pass by those Scriptures. He has some instruction or encouragement for us within those passages, and perhaps for someone else as well. I want to encourage you to keep looking into that perfect law of liberty, and perhaps even commit some of it to memory. The psalmist says, “Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” When we memorize, or hide the Word in our hearts, then we are much more likely to “continue in it” and not forget what we saw. Also, let your doing be a matter of faith, and as a point of freedom, not out of any kind of legalism. Let it be a matter of relationship with your Father. We can never earn God’s favor by any works of our own, we are accepted by God on one basis alone, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. When we set ourselves to hear God’s Word to us, and then respond by doing what He says, God promises us that there will be a blessing on what we do. Let’s be those who not only hear the Word, but are also faithful doers of it!

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus, help me to see myself in the mirror of Your Word. Let my faith have hands and feet to it. Help me to not only hear your Word, but to do what You say! In Your name, amen.

“But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness…’” – Matthew 3:15

When Jesus came to John to be baptised, John protested, and Jesus told him to permit it to be so for now. God’s ways are not our ways, nor are our thoughts His thoughts (Is. 55:8). John the baptist understood that Jesus was God and King, and he was well aware of his own unworthiness to even carry the Lord’s shoes.  Yet, Jesus came humbly and identified Himself with our sin, allowing John to baptize Him, even though there was no sin found in Him. Jesus was and still is suffering things to be the way they are for a time so that He might fulfill ALL righteousness.

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9

Jesus did not establish His Kingdom here on earth. He is establishing it in the hearts of those who believe, and are born again by the Spirit. As believers we too are invited to suffer some things to be as they are for a time. Just as the Lord has been longsuffering toward us, so we ought to be with others. Let’s not forget that longsuffering is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22)! We are not to try and fix things, or people. We are to submit to God, and laying down our agendas, ask and pray as the Lord taught us…“Thy will be done, Thy Kingdom come on earth just as it is in Heaven.” As we do, we have what we ask in Jesus name, even if we don’t yet see it! If Jesus is suffering things to be so for now, may we join in the fellowship of His sufferings, and in so doing share in His Life (Phil. 3:10-11). Don’t lose heart, keep praying, it matters more than you know!

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus, I know that You have overcome the world. That walking with You is a matter of faith, and not sight. Help us not to fall into the temptation to fix the world around us, but instead to look with the eyes of faith and intercede. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, in the powerful name of Jesus, amen.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” – Romans 12:1

God, who is holy, in His kindness and great mercy gave His Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for sin. It is only because Jesus gave His life on the Cross that God is able to extend mercy and forgiveness to us. How great a price He paid, one of a magnitude we will never fully know! And how great is God’s mercy toward us because that price has been paid. His mercy is durable and cannot be exhausted! He forgives us not just for the sins that we commit outwardly, but He has forgiven us for being the sinners that we are. This is not a reason to go on sinning, but rather quite the opposite.

In view of the great mercy and kindness of God toward us, the only reasonable thing to do is to present ourselves to Him.  Your life and mine are made up of a series of presentations. Just as God’s mercies are new every morning, so should we present ourselves afresh and anew to Him every day. We are to present ourselves a living sacrifice. We are living because we have been made alive to God, and our lives now belong to Him. He desires to live His life out through us, and we will give an account for the lives we live. We are sacrifices because we consider ourselves dead to sin.  Meaning, we have made up our minds about sin. Each and every day we sin less and less because of God’s grace that is at work in us.  God is faithful to forgive, and cleanse us. He delights to pour out His Holy Spirit every time we lift our hands to Him and humble ourselves before Him.  Let us be found present and accounted for every day, and waiting with eager hearts to hear from our Father in Heaven.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father, I don’t deserve Your mercy, but I receive it! I present myself to You afresh and anew which is the only reasonable thing for me to do in light of Your great mercies toward me. I lay my life down, and ask that you live Your life through me today. In Jesus name, amen.