Jesus directed his followers to pursue him through the narrow gate. The narrow gate opens to a narrow road that leads to life. The narrow gate is not as appealing as the wide gate. The wide gate is the gate that accommodates the crowd. It is the one that offers enticement and intrigue. There are many objects worthy of your worship. Enjoy as many as you can. The wide gate boldly flies its banner: You only go around once! The narrow gate leads to truth. Instead of a multitude of things to worship, there is only one Who is worthy. Not surprisingly, few desire such a restriction. Worshiping one God to the exclusion of all others is too narrow, too […]
Worship
159 posts
In the context of our various trials we need wisdom to know how to function in those trials and circumstances; it is available from a giving God, and we are to ask for it (James 1:5). Our need is no different from Israel’s. We need not only the power of God to overwhelm our obvious enemies but also the wisdom of God to detect our subtle enemies. Unfortunately, the church too often craves God’s power while it ignores God’s wisdom. Dale Ralph Davis Psalm 19:7-14 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The […]
God is not interested in sharing heart space with anyone or anything other than himself. A heart where the splendor of God shares space with the worries of life is a divided heart. God commands that his music is to play in your heart. Colossians 3:16 is not a suggestion, it is a command. Ignoring this command is just as destructive as ignoring the command not to steal. When you engage in corporate worship, when you engage in day-to-day worship the word of Christ is to dominate your heart. His music is to lead you to gratitude for his constant mercy. So, if you find that God is distant to you, in whatever the circumstance, ask yourself this question. Whose […]
Before the fall, man had a glorious and exciting destiny to pursue. One people speaking the same language gaining dominion over all the earth for the glory of the one true God. However, after the fall, the ugliness of pride supplanted the glory of God in the hearts of men. The evil spread from generation to generation, even to the animals. Only the cleansing waters of the flood would push back the scourge of pride. But the damage was done. Pride had woven its way into the hearts of men. On the plains of what is now Iraq man was again united with one language and one purpose. Only now the goal was not the glory of God, but the […]
Today is Sunday 9/13. Like Friday, there was no attack on our country. Many of you went to church this day and arrived home safely. What does that mean? For many of us it means that we have, once again, forgotten how dependent we are upon on God’s care. Not everyday is December 7th, or September 11th. But they could be. And, truthfully, no one knows what September 14th will be remembered for. What we do know is that each day you and I are totally dependent upon God’s faithfulness for our safety, whether we acknowledge that reality or not. Gather your family this night and thank God for the care that he provides. Ask his forgiveness for so easily […]
In Psalm 27 David tells you about what he most wanted from God. He wanted to live in the house of the Lord forever. He knew that God would hide him in his sanctuary. He knew he would be safe in God’s house. But here is the problem. David did not live in God’s house and he was no stranger to troubles. So what is David talking about in Psalm 27? What can you learn from his words? What we know from other Psalms is that David’s heart was the place where he sought God. It was in his heart that he knew the joy of living with God. The joy that David expresses in Psalm 51 flows from the […]
Much of life is hard. But as you think about the wonder of the Lord’s salvation there are times when pure joy should erupt in your soul. Psalm 126, one of the psalms that records the journey of Israel going up to Jerusalem to worship, captures this joy. Laughter and praise flow freely in the psalm. This psalm is one that brings perspective. God has indeed rescued you from the pit. You are not treated as your sins deserve. You will know the joy of eternity with your Savior. Your tears of sorrow will turn into tears of joy. As son or daughter of the King of Kings you do have reason to laugh and know joy, even in life’s […]
Suppose you stood face-to-face before God and in his hand he held a record of every sin you that you committed? Not a pleasant thought! If this did happen, you would be immediately condemned by the holiness of God. All of your sinful thoughts, actions, and intentions would scream your guilt across the universe. This is something so awful that no one would survive the encounter. We cannot truly contemplate what it means to worship God unless we can first grasp what it means to be guilty before him. The Psalmist had exactly these feelings as he approached Jerusalem for worship. Here are his thoughts from one of the Psalms of Ascent. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O […]
There plenty of things in life that are scary. For a moment, imagine that you traveling on foot at twilight on your way to Jerusalem almost 3,000 year ago. The last part of your journey is a climb through steep hills. There are long, dark shadows as sunset approaches. On each side of you there are countless places where robbers and wild animals may be waiting to attack. This is the scene Israelites faced as they went up to Jerusalem to worship on one of the appointed feast days. The Psalmist, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, wrote the 121st Psalm to address this very situation! Actually, there are 15 Psalms that are called Psalms of Ascent which were […]
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. One of the reasons that Christ died is so that his people will walk in newness of life, to walk in the wisdom and commands of God. Thus true worship will lead to a life of loving God’s wisdom.. Failure to love wisdom, is a failure to love God. Proverbs 3:13-15 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better […]