Wisdom and Worship It is impossible to separate the acceptable worship of God from a deep love of the wisdom of God. Biblical wisdom is more precious than anything, anything that you can desire. If you do not desire God’s wisdom above all else, your worship will be an exercise in self-service. Failure to love wisdom, is a failure to love God. Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding,14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 3:13-15
Worship
159 posts
God is unique. This is essential to grasp if he is to be worshipped for who he is and not who we think he is. One way that God is unique is that he needs no outside validation of who he is. As humans we tend to confirm things we think by appealing to someone or something to agree with us. God needs no such confirmation. He is the standard by which all that is good is measured. For example, if I come to a conclusion about something, I may appeal to someone else to validate my conclusion. The more people who agree with me the more comfortable I am with my conclusion. God is not like this. He […]
Worship must be consumed with whom we worship. If worship becomes about my experience then my experience becomes the object of worship. Here are three things about worship that will help keep your focus on the majesty of God. Worship is a response to greatness. When you consider who God is, you can not help but bow before him. It is always appropriate to be blown away by greatness of God. There is none like him. Worship is a response to power. When you consider that God holds your life in his hands, when you consider he holds and controls the vast expanse of the universe together by his will, when you consider that Christ has defeated the […]
Suppose you received mercy from God proportionate to the mercy you display to others. Not a comforting thought is it? Actually, it is a disturbing thought! But is it disturbing enough to result in repentance? Today is a day we set aside for corporate worship. You will praise God for his mercy. But will your praise result in you being more merciful? If if doesn’t then your praise will be empty and self-serving. God doesn’t call you to worship just so you can have a moving experience. He calls you to worship that leads to repentance.He calls you to be merciful as he is merciful.
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.19 You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19
God’s love cannot be measured by earthly scales and values. One day, sooner or later, we will all stand before him. What will matter in most in that moment is what must matter most in this moment! Do you live for what you can see or for what can’t be seen? The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the […]
Lance Armstrong’s admission of doping after years of vehement denials is just latest indication that the worship of fame dominates modern America. Manti Te’o is another star who had to invent a reason for fame. Romans 1 warns that the natural man will worship the created thing over the Creator. Fame has become a human convention that our culture craves. America ignores gross immoral behavior in her stars just as long as the stars blow us away with performance. There is only one cure for this fatal attraction – living for the exclusive glory of God. More about this later today. For now as you hear about Armstrong and others ask God for a heart of compassion for […]
A Christian must not live as though time is all that matters. As the hymn says, the sands of time are numbered. They are contained in an hourglass crafted by God for his glory. One day the last grain of sand will sink to the bottom of the glass. When this happens God will not turn the hourglass over. When the last grain falls, life on earth will also fall. Don’t live your life for sinking grains of sand. Live it for the glory of the King. The Sands of Time are Sinking The sands of time are sinking, the dawn of Heaven breaks; The summer morn I’ve sighed for—the fair, sweet morn awakes: Dark, dark hath […]
Are you all in for God? Proverbs 2 provides a window of understanding for least one reason why we have periods of spiritual apathy. If you ever have a question about why God seems distant at times, here is an explanation. Solomon says to find the knowledge of God, you must be passionately committed to your search, you must be all in. Suppose I told you that you could find millions of dollars of treasure in your back yard, all you have to do is go find it. Would your response be passive? Would you start your search after you have had a nap or watched your favorite TV program? Would you put your search off until a […]
Biblical worship is about transformation. Christian worship is distinct from anything that our “spiritual” culture has to offer. An encounter with the Living God, whether corporately or individually, should be transformational. Conformity to the world’s idea of worship carries the idea of personal enrichment and fulfillment. Biblical worship is nothing of the sort. When we see God for who he is, we cannot remain the same. We are undone, yet we have hope. We must be transformed. Our minds must be renewed so we can embrace the perfect, written will of God for lives. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act […]