How Do We Worship?

There are so many things in this world that we praise.  We praise music and the musicians who write it, we praise art and the artists who make it, we praise films and the people who produce, direct, film, and act in them, we praise buildings and the people who design and build them.  All of these things and people receive praise and adoration even though we never were directly provided for by these things and these people.  The entire act of our praise is outward, we don't want anything back, we don't expect to get anything from our appreciation.

Why would we praise and adore the Lord and all of a sudden expect something out of it?  We should approach worship as a way to give something to our Creator.  We may end up feeling wonderful and renewed and energized, but the goal is not to help ourselves.  God has already provided for us in every way we could ever possibly ask for, and we deserved not an ounce of it.

Thomas Carlyle said that "Worship is transcendent wonder."  Transcendent meaning exceeding or surpassing in degree or excellence.  Worship is not about us, worship is all about being in excellent wonder.  Much like the popular hymn "How Great Thou Art" states:

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hands hath made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Carl Boberg is expressing all of the things that God has done.  He is not talking about himself or asking God to give Him something.  His "awesome wonder" is completely outward.

God doesn't have to come into our presence or bless us with joy and peace, but He chooses to because He loves us.  If we worship as a way to get something for ourselves, then how is that worship at all?

That Blissful Climb

Most everyone has heard faith described as a series of mountains and valleys.  Some may have also heard people say that if you are not progressing forward in your relationship with Jesus, you're falling back.

Now, there are flaws in almost every analogy, but just work with me.

Every moment in your faith you will either climb the mountain or fall down the mountain.  When I imagine a mountain top I imagine a time of relief, or of relaxation.  Its a time when we stop working so hard and just enjoy.  But it is also the end of an accomplishment and a time of preparation for descent.  We should never consider anything over, and we should definitely never want to descend.  I think that our "mountain tops" are simply the times when climbing the mountain is just so incredibly joyful because we're walking right alongside our Savior.  We still have to be faithful in prayer, and consistent in study, and undeviating in obedience because that is what will bring us closer to the blissful presence of our Jesus.  We have to continue to surrender and continue to learn and love and accept Him more and more so that we won't fall back down.  It can be daunting looking up the mountain.  It seems to never end and there are some really tough spots that look impossible to climb.  But when you don't want to even start the climb, don't be overwhelmed by the whole slope.  Take your first step and then take a second and then a third and a fourth, and when you can't take the fifth step, look beside you and let Jesus hold your hand.

The valleys are inevitable because of our obvious humanity.  We will struggle and there will be times when we don't feel delighted or carefree, but we are trusting God because we know Him and He told us during our blissful climb that He would be with us even in the valleys.

Easter Poem

I am lost for words on this day of salvation.
Jesus died for me and made me a new creation.
Nothing I ever did made me deserve this,
But He loves me and that truth is absolute bliss.

He was beaten and bruised and led out to the hill.
He took on all my sins so that He could fulfill
All of the promises that were made in the past
About a King that would rule, but no one expected this outcast.

But this "Outcast" filled me with hope and love
He saved my soul and allowed me to take hold of
His grace and His power that I deserve in the least
And yet I'll sit with Him at His great feast.

My Jesus died so that this would be true.
My Lord was raised so that I could tell You
Of the greatest love story that could ever be told.
That Jesus is Savior and to Him I'll take hold.

Let Jesus Dress You

Where did we start? When you were born, how were you defined?
A sinner.
We have all been sinners from the start.
Nothing we do can change that fact.  We can't make ourselves any more worthy, or any less worthy.  We can't clean up our act, because once we've made it filthy, it's filthy.  Its a stain that we can't wash out, and we can't just go out and buy another garment, its the only one we have.  That one stain has condemned us. The more stains we put on it does not condemn us further. Once we are imperfect, we can't go to heaven.  Heaven is perfect and if anything imperfect entered then it would no longer be heaven.  A sentence to hell is eternity and eternity can't be lengthened or shortened.  One stain, and we're done.

Graciously, mercifully, and miraculously Jesus gave us his garment that cannot be stained because he's already sealed the deal.  He's already lived a flawless, sinless, without fail, perfect life, and he's died.  So once we let Him dress us in His perfection, we look just like that to God!

So since we're all saved by grace (Pause for a moment and think about that. Saved by grace. Just think thoroughly through that.) and we all are, in and of ourselves, filthy, unworthy sinners who are condemned to the worst punishment by just one sin, we can't become more awful when we sin more.  You're no worse than anyone else when you sin again, and you're no better than the most filthy sinner you can find when you sin less.  Sin is sin.  In God's eyes a little white lie=cheating=stealing=murder=adultery=sexual immorality.  Its all the same.  It all sends us to hell until we let Jesus dress us up in his own beautiful, flawless, white robe.  The thing is, it's free, all we have to do is say yes to Jesus. He's waiting for us, loving us.
I hope that makes you smile.

Make you Smile

The Lord leads me in ways you may not understand.
My Father asks me to please Him.  He asks me to make Him smile.
I want to make Him smile, even if that means I can't make you smile too.

I will never be all that you want to me be.
I may not live up to all the expectations you have of me.
But I will run hard after God's plan for my life.
Its greater than my own.
And it is greater than yours.

I love you, and I wish I could make you smile too, but I hope that eventually a smile will come when you see that I am doing just what the Lord has led me to do.

I'll listen if you fix my problem

So many people reach the end of their rope and then cry out to God.  That prayer often goes something like this: "God, I'll listen to you if you just fix my problem."

I find that interesting.  We say that we will do something for God if He does something for us.  Can you really do anything for God?  Is there anything we can give God that He can't get for himself?

I have heard stories of people praying this prayer and then getting what they asked for.  But recently I heard two stories that seemed backwards.  The prayer was prayed.  Then the person became a Christian.  Then their problem was fixed.  God doesn't need our "gift" of obedience to fix our problems.  We don't have any obedience to give Him.  The obedience is a gift too!  When we pray prayers like that, I think God hears something more along the lines of, "God, Give me obedience and fix my problem."  He wants to give us obedience.  And obviously, evidenced by these stories, even when we think its our gift to give, He still gives it to us.  He is so good and so patient.  He knows our heart, and He is so faithful.  When we seek Him, we always find Him!  And then we seek Him more and find Him more.  But the only reason we even begin to seek is because He's given us a desire for Himself that is built into our being.

Nothing about this life is about us.  Everything good is a gift from Him.

Ukuthula, Usindiso, Ukubonga, Ukunquoba, Induduzo

What a privilege that I have the opportunity to be involved in a choir like the one here at my wonderful university.  I get to sing with a group of people who, for the most part, all care deeply about the quality of the music that we make.  I get to sing songs about Jesus and listen to people lift His name in praise even when they don't realize that they are glorifying Him whether they want to or not.  If I choose to let the Holy Spirit be a part of the rehearsal then I get to worship through song in my classroom every single day.  What a beautiful privilege I have.  This is one of the songs that particularly effects me every time we sing it.  I can feel the heaviness of the Spirit come into the rehearsal room as soon as it starts, and to think about what the words mean makes the song even more fabulous.  The great thing about my Lord is that even if the language I'm singing is not my language, He still knows what I'm saying.  He hears me praising His son's sacrifice.  He hears this group of 30 singers lifting His name and giving thanks for the blood of Jesus.  Praise the Lord for bringing peace, redemption, praise, victory, and comfort into the world by the blood of Jesus.  Hallelujah.

Ukuthula kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likeJesu linyeneyz'
Peace in this world of sin the blood of Jesus brings, Hallelujah

Usindiso kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likeJesu linyeneyz'
Redemption in this world of sin the blood of Jesus brings, Hallelujah

Ukobonga kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likeJesu linyeneyz'
Praise in this world of sin the blood of Jesus brings, Hallelujah.

Ukunqoba kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likeJesu linyeneyz'
Victory in this world of sin the blood of Jesus brings, Hallelujah.

Induduzo kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likeJesu linyeneyz'
Comfort in this world of sin the blood of Jesus brings, Hallelujah.