Sunday, February 24, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Praise
Praise.. that word took a significant turn for me today. Before, praise was just something that I did. I just praised God. Why? Because of His goodness! Because He is worthy! But of course there were times when we just don't feel like praising. Like in my previous entry, sometimes it does not spontaneously come. This is the reality, sometimes it is a bit hard to praise, because certain things may come and cause us to be discouraged. That happened to me very recently.
The natural thing for me to do was to go away and to seek God. To get answers. To get the situation fixed. I prayed and pleaded with God, I implored with Him. I raved and ranted, my heart was in total disarray. I was in a mess. Chaos and confusion was abundant, and there was nothing but heart break in sight.
So I turned to heavens, I looked up. I looked up at God and the heavenly hosts, the angels, the living creatures and the elders, and I asked, "Will you grant me this desire?"
To my surprise, and a bit of shock, a question was thrown back at me.
"Will you still praise?"
Suddenly, the whole of heaven was focused on me. The heavens as well as the demons were all looking to me in anticipation. The question, though so simple, but had a meaning so profound that it made me pause in my step and really consider what that really meant.
Suddenly I realised, that God wanted me to embark on a journey. A journey of total delight and joy in Him. Fulfilment in Him. That God alone is more than enough.
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart.
The revelation to me was that delight in God is the end to everything. It is the end result, not the second part of the verse. Often we emphasise on taking joy in God so that our desires will be fulfilled. But it dawned upon me, that joy and delight in God alone is the means to all ends. It is the bottom line. The omega. The answer to everything.
I begin to realise, that the first thing we do everyday, is to not ask how much we can glorify God, or how much we can serve, or how much we can give, but how much joy can we find in Him.
Still awe struck, I responded by lifting my hands, though not literally as it was in a public place that God spoke, but I decided, yes. Ever will I still praise my God. For He is God. That alone i reason enough for me to praise Him.
Ladies and gentleman, it is not the answer to your problem that matters, but it is your response to the situation.
Hallelujah for He reigns.
The natural thing for me to do was to go away and to seek God. To get answers. To get the situation fixed. I prayed and pleaded with God, I implored with Him. I raved and ranted, my heart was in total disarray. I was in a mess. Chaos and confusion was abundant, and there was nothing but heart break in sight.
So I turned to heavens, I looked up. I looked up at God and the heavenly hosts, the angels, the living creatures and the elders, and I asked, "Will you grant me this desire?"
To my surprise, and a bit of shock, a question was thrown back at me.
"Will you still praise?"
Suddenly, the whole of heaven was focused on me. The heavens as well as the demons were all looking to me in anticipation. The question, though so simple, but had a meaning so profound that it made me pause in my step and really consider what that really meant.
Suddenly I realised, that God wanted me to embark on a journey. A journey of total delight and joy in Him. Fulfilment in Him. That God alone is more than enough.
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord, and He will grant you the desires of your heart.
The revelation to me was that delight in God is the end to everything. It is the end result, not the second part of the verse. Often we emphasise on taking joy in God so that our desires will be fulfilled. But it dawned upon me, that joy and delight in God alone is the means to all ends. It is the bottom line. The omega. The answer to everything.
I begin to realise, that the first thing we do everyday, is to not ask how much we can glorify God, or how much we can serve, or how much we can give, but how much joy can we find in Him.
Still awe struck, I responded by lifting my hands, though not literally as it was in a public place that God spoke, but I decided, yes. Ever will I still praise my God. For He is God. That alone i reason enough for me to praise Him.
Ladies and gentleman, it is not the answer to your problem that matters, but it is your response to the situation.
Hallelujah for He reigns.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Worship
Sometimes I wonder what does worship really mean? Is it just an orderly practise that is carried out on Sundays just before the preacher goes up? Is it that slower paced songs after the jumpy praise ones? Is it a religious act or ritual where we lift our hands up and sing the words on the screen? Is it group karoke? Or is it perhaps a lifestyle?
1 Corinthians 10:31(NIV)
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
For the glory of God. True worship is indeed a lifestyle, a life that pursues causes and things that glorify God. Worship is not just confined to the songs you sing, but the steps you make. It is in everything. How you treat your brother, how you manage your finances, how you speak to strangers, how you deal with difficult people, how you live your life. Because whatever you do, you are reflecting whom you are. So are you of the world, or are you of Christ?
Ephesians 5:1-7 (New Living Translation)
1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do.
True worship is also born from a willing heart.
1 Chronicles 28:9 (New Living Translation)
9 Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
I read something very interesting in John Piper's book:
Almost everyone will agree that worship involves some kind of outward act. The very word in Hebrew means to bow down. Worship is singing, lifting of hands, praying, preaching, etc. But the fact is that these things can be done in vain, it can be useless and empty.
In Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees with scripture from Isaiah 29:13:
This people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me, in vain they worship Me.
I believe true worship, is worship as an end to itself. Meaning, that it is a birth of a genuine and spontaneous desire in us, something that we do not consciously have to manufacture. Let me explain.
If you are stranded out in the sea, and land is in sight. You do not stop to ponder, "Oh my, how much joy should I feel now that I have found a place to supply me with food and water?" It is not something planned, like booking a hotel or buying a bus ticket.
Or consider fear. If you have not prepared for an exam and it begins in 2 hours, you do not go, "So now that I am in big trouble, how much fear should I be feeling?" No! You will be hysterical. Or imagine camping out in the woods and you hear a growl and see a silhouette of a huge bear coming towards your tent, you do not calculate the good results that might come from the fear the adrenaline produces, you do not rationalize whether it will be of good use to be fearful, you just do!
When I was in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Overlooking the vast and beautiful blue sea, with snow capped mountains standing majesticly in the background, and the air was as fresh as I could ever experience, and the surroundings so peaceful and serene you would wonder whether that was truly heaven, would I have said, "Now to what end do I feel awe and wonder before this beauty?"
When a little child opens up a Christmas gift and finds his most favourite and most wanted toy, which he has wanted for months, he does not think "Now to what end shall I feel happy and thankful?"
Or when a kid enters kindergarden and he gets picked on by the other kids, and his big older brother comes and takes his side, he does not "decide" to feel confidence and love welling up in his little heart. He just does.
That is how it should be when we come to the Throne of grace and glory to give our praise and worship as well. Not grudgingly, not reluctantly. Nor do we have to decide how high should I jump, how loud should I sing. What we should decide, is to give our hearts completely unto Him. For if we truly had a heart for God, and if we truly loved Him with our all, we can rest assured, we shall never worship in vain, but our affections will be like sweet smelling incense unto him.
1 Corinthians 10:31(NIV)
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
For the glory of God. True worship is indeed a lifestyle, a life that pursues causes and things that glorify God. Worship is not just confined to the songs you sing, but the steps you make. It is in everything. How you treat your brother, how you manage your finances, how you speak to strangers, how you deal with difficult people, how you live your life. Because whatever you do, you are reflecting whom you are. So are you of the world, or are you of Christ?
Ephesians 5:1-7 (New Living Translation)
1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do.
True worship is also born from a willing heart.
1 Chronicles 28:9 (New Living Translation)
9 Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
I read something very interesting in John Piper's book:
Almost everyone will agree that worship involves some kind of outward act. The very word in Hebrew means to bow down. Worship is singing, lifting of hands, praying, preaching, etc. But the fact is that these things can be done in vain, it can be useless and empty.
In Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees with scripture from Isaiah 29:13:
This people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me, in vain they worship Me.
I believe true worship, is worship as an end to itself. Meaning, that it is a birth of a genuine and spontaneous desire in us, something that we do not consciously have to manufacture. Let me explain.
If you are stranded out in the sea, and land is in sight. You do not stop to ponder, "Oh my, how much joy should I feel now that I have found a place to supply me with food and water?" It is not something planned, like booking a hotel or buying a bus ticket.
Or consider fear. If you have not prepared for an exam and it begins in 2 hours, you do not go, "So now that I am in big trouble, how much fear should I be feeling?" No! You will be hysterical. Or imagine camping out in the woods and you hear a growl and see a silhouette of a huge bear coming towards your tent, you do not calculate the good results that might come from the fear the adrenaline produces, you do not rationalize whether it will be of good use to be fearful, you just do!
When I was in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Overlooking the vast and beautiful blue sea, with snow capped mountains standing majesticly in the background, and the air was as fresh as I could ever experience, and the surroundings so peaceful and serene you would wonder whether that was truly heaven, would I have said, "Now to what end do I feel awe and wonder before this beauty?"
When a little child opens up a Christmas gift and finds his most favourite and most wanted toy, which he has wanted for months, he does not think "Now to what end shall I feel happy and thankful?"
Or when a kid enters kindergarden and he gets picked on by the other kids, and his big older brother comes and takes his side, he does not "decide" to feel confidence and love welling up in his little heart. He just does.
That is how it should be when we come to the Throne of grace and glory to give our praise and worship as well. Not grudgingly, not reluctantly. Nor do we have to decide how high should I jump, how loud should I sing. What we should decide, is to give our hearts completely unto Him. For if we truly had a heart for God, and if we truly loved Him with our all, we can rest assured, we shall never worship in vain, but our affections will be like sweet smelling incense unto him.
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