The other day I was flipping through books on my shelf that I had already read. One of the books I perused through was Whatever Happened to Worship by A. W. Tozer. As I re-examined the many sections I had underlined I was struck by a thought that Tozer had borrowed from Dr. George Watson.
"Men can have two kinds of love for God: the love of gratitude and the love of excellence."
The love of gratitude is not a bad thing. I mean, I posted a song called "Jesus, Thank You" yesterday, so I'm obviously very much in favor of having the love of gratitude for God. The love of gratitude is not a bad thing, it is a necessary, good and obvious thing for believers to have. How could I not be eternally grateful to my Savior for what He did for me while I was His enemy? My love for God based in gratitude is not a bad love but it's not the best love.
The love for God that is based in the love of excellence is something that I need to continually pursue. This is the love of God that is in love with Him because of His many perfect attributes. This is being in love with His: omnipresence, holiness, omnipotence, mercy, omniscience, justice, wisdom, graciousness, infiniteness, self-existence, goodness, love, sovereignty, immutability, etc. This type of love loves God because of who He is not just what He has done.
We know this is the better love. Think of it this way... I love my wife most because of what she does for me or I love my wife most because of who she is. Which is the greater, deeper love? Obviously, the love for who she is is the greater love. It is the same with God.
So, how do we practice this?
First, we don't pursue the love of excellence by downplaying the love of gratitude. This is not a zero-sum game. I don't rob Peter to pay Paul. I can increase the size of the love pie, so to speak, that I have for God. That being said, how do we do this? I have just a few ideas.
1) Search for songs that praise God for who He is not just what He's done. Then listen to them worshipfully. Examples: "Holy, Holy, Holy", "O Lord, You're Beautiful", "Beautiful One", "Behold Our God", etc. You can comment with more ideas if you think of them.
2) Meditate on verses about God's glorious attributes. Read Jeremiah 32:17, Psalm 139:7, 1 John 3:20, Romans 11:33, Psalm 119:8, etc.
3) Read books that explore the attributes of God. Read The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer and Knowing God by J. I. Packer they will change your life for the better as they open your mind to this amazing way of loving God.
4) Be undistracted in nature. "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." Psalm 19:1
5) Think about who God is in comparison to you. If this doesn't give you a healthy fear of God, I don't know what will. And the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
In conclusion, thank God for all that He has done for you, but don't stop there. Fall in love with who God is because this is the truest worship. Pursue a love for God that is rooted in the love of excellence today.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Jesus, Thank You
The song today at church that inspired me the most today was "Jesus, Thank You" by Sovereign Grace. Take time to listen to it and pay attention to the great words.
So, that is the song that spoke to me most this morning. What did God teach you today?
So, that is the song that spoke to me most this morning. What did God teach you today?
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Be Equally Yoked
Let's examine a familiar passage from 2 Corinthians chapter 6.
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." 2 Corinthians 6:14-16
Let's begin with looking at what this passage doesn't mean. This passage does not mean that Christians should not have any relationships with unbelievers. Christ ate and drank in the homes of "sinners" and the Pharisees bashed Him for that. We are to live amongst people of all different backgrounds: gay or straight, rich or poor, American or foreign, Christian or non-Christian. This passage does not tell us to build a compound on the edge of town and hide away in it. No, Christians are to live in our communities and work for the good of the people in those communities. We are to reach out to people with the love of Jesus and how can we do that without building any relationships?
This passage is about being yoked with unbelievers. Being yoked invokes an image of two oxen or horses. The yoke bound them together in unity as they worked. So, this passage is telling us not to have binding, covenant-type relationships with unbelievers. This is talking about deep friendships, romantic relationships, etc.
Why not? This is the obvious question to ask. I want to give a couple of reasons to answer this question. I'm sure there are more reasons, but I'll give two.
1) What do we have in common with unbelievers?
I'm not saying that an unbeliever and I can't have a strong affinity for Cubs baseball or Chicago style pizza. What I'm saying is that as a Christian our faith is not merely a part of who we are, it is who we are. My identity is found in Christ and what Christ has called me. My faith isn't part of who I am, it is who I am. How can you have a binding, deep, covenantal relationship with someone who is so radically different from you at the core? Who I am in Christ affects how I see everything and I can't be bound to someone who sees almost everything differently than I do. Can I love them? Absolutely. Will I bind myself to them completely? No.
2) Synergy.
Here's a mathematical truth I want to share with you in a story problem (Yes, I'm using math to prove a Biblical truth. God invented math and created its laws that we later discovered).
One horse on a farm was able to pull 8,000 pounds. So, the farmer found another horse who could pull 8,000 pounds on its own. How much can the two pull together? You may answer 16,000 pounds but you would be wrong. Because of the law of synergy these two equally yoked horses can pull around 26,000 pounds, not 16,000 pounds. The law of synergy says 1+1 = 3. When the combinations of strengths are equal the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Christian relationships are like this. A married couple that are equally yoked in Christ can do more together than separately. A team of Christian friends will do more together than the sum of their parts would suggest. There is great synergy when we are bound in relationships with those who share our identity.
So, don't avoid non-Christians. Pursue relationships with them, but not binding relationships. Find your identity in Christ and find friends who have done the same. And for those of you aching for a romantic relationship, yearning for a partner in life, wait for another believer. Don't believe Satan's lies when he suggests you settle for someone who "believes in God" but really isn't a believer. If you are going to marry please do it God's way. Find someone who will run the race with you and watch what the Lord will do with you two teamed together.
Be equally yoked today.
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." 2 Corinthians 6:14-16
Let's begin with looking at what this passage doesn't mean. This passage does not mean that Christians should not have any relationships with unbelievers. Christ ate and drank in the homes of "sinners" and the Pharisees bashed Him for that. We are to live amongst people of all different backgrounds: gay or straight, rich or poor, American or foreign, Christian or non-Christian. This passage does not tell us to build a compound on the edge of town and hide away in it. No, Christians are to live in our communities and work for the good of the people in those communities. We are to reach out to people with the love of Jesus and how can we do that without building any relationships?
This passage is about being yoked with unbelievers. Being yoked invokes an image of two oxen or horses. The yoke bound them together in unity as they worked. So, this passage is telling us not to have binding, covenant-type relationships with unbelievers. This is talking about deep friendships, romantic relationships, etc.
Why not? This is the obvious question to ask. I want to give a couple of reasons to answer this question. I'm sure there are more reasons, but I'll give two.
1) What do we have in common with unbelievers?
I'm not saying that an unbeliever and I can't have a strong affinity for Cubs baseball or Chicago style pizza. What I'm saying is that as a Christian our faith is not merely a part of who we are, it is who we are. My identity is found in Christ and what Christ has called me. My faith isn't part of who I am, it is who I am. How can you have a binding, deep, covenantal relationship with someone who is so radically different from you at the core? Who I am in Christ affects how I see everything and I can't be bound to someone who sees almost everything differently than I do. Can I love them? Absolutely. Will I bind myself to them completely? No.
2) Synergy.
Here's a mathematical truth I want to share with you in a story problem (Yes, I'm using math to prove a Biblical truth. God invented math and created its laws that we later discovered).
One horse on a farm was able to pull 8,000 pounds. So, the farmer found another horse who could pull 8,000 pounds on its own. How much can the two pull together? You may answer 16,000 pounds but you would be wrong. Because of the law of synergy these two equally yoked horses can pull around 26,000 pounds, not 16,000 pounds. The law of synergy says 1+1 = 3. When the combinations of strengths are equal the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Christian relationships are like this. A married couple that are equally yoked in Christ can do more together than separately. A team of Christian friends will do more together than the sum of their parts would suggest. There is great synergy when we are bound in relationships with those who share our identity.
So, don't avoid non-Christians. Pursue relationships with them, but not binding relationships. Find your identity in Christ and find friends who have done the same. And for those of you aching for a romantic relationship, yearning for a partner in life, wait for another believer. Don't believe Satan's lies when he suggests you settle for someone who "believes in God" but really isn't a believer. If you are going to marry please do it God's way. Find someone who will run the race with you and watch what the Lord will do with you two teamed together.
Be equally yoked today.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Somebody's Watching Me
In 1984 R&B singer Rockwell released the song "Somebody's Watching Me" which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is ridiculously catchy, I mean it will be in your head for a week if you listen to it. Rockwell had Jermaine Jackson and Michael Jackson sing on it which is awesome, but the lyrics are nutty at best. Give it a listen if you've never heard it.
The song is stupid, but it came to my mind when I read 2 Corinthians chapter 6.
"We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, but yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything." 2 Corinthians 6:3-10
Beside the fact that Paul wrote all that using only two sentences, a lot can come to our mind when we read those verses. The great paradoxes of the Christian life should be one of them, "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" for example. The weapons of righteousness (see Ephesians chapter 6 for more) should be another. But I want to look at something different.
Somebody's always watching us; therefore put no stumbling blocks in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Christians, we must strive to live the Christian life at all times because our actions testify to the Gospel we claim.
Does the way you act in good times and in bad proclaim the Gospel? I'm asking myself the same thing. My answer is "Not always." Do I show endurance in the faith in troubles, hardships and distresses? Could I, like Paul, be beaten, imprisoned, hungry, sleepless and still have it said of me that I lived out the Gospel? Do people see patience, kindness and understanding in my life, especially in regard to people I don't naturally like?
I'm trying hard to be more like Christ in all circumstances. I've got a loooonnnng way to go, but I will get there because "He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion."
Somebody's watching me. Somebody's watching you. Do they see Jesus? Or do they see something that makes the Gospel look unattractive? Are you a stumbling block? Do they think, "If Christians are like that I don't want to be one."?
People are watching you. To quote an old hymn, "let others see Jesus in you" and your actions today.
The song is stupid, but it came to my mind when I read 2 Corinthians chapter 6.
"We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, but yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything." 2 Corinthians 6:3-10
Beside the fact that Paul wrote all that using only two sentences, a lot can come to our mind when we read those verses. The great paradoxes of the Christian life should be one of them, "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" for example. The weapons of righteousness (see Ephesians chapter 6 for more) should be another. But I want to look at something different.
Somebody's always watching us; therefore put no stumbling blocks in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Christians, we must strive to live the Christian life at all times because our actions testify to the Gospel we claim.
Does the way you act in good times and in bad proclaim the Gospel? I'm asking myself the same thing. My answer is "Not always." Do I show endurance in the faith in troubles, hardships and distresses? Could I, like Paul, be beaten, imprisoned, hungry, sleepless and still have it said of me that I lived out the Gospel? Do people see patience, kindness and understanding in my life, especially in regard to people I don't naturally like?
I'm trying hard to be more like Christ in all circumstances. I've got a loooonnnng way to go, but I will get there because "He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion."
Somebody's watching me. Somebody's watching you. Do they see Jesus? Or do they see something that makes the Gospel look unattractive? Are you a stumbling block? Do they think, "If Christians are like that I don't want to be one."?
People are watching you. To quote an old hymn, "let others see Jesus in you" and your actions today.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
The Day of Salvation
The following passage was quoted in 2 Corinthians chapter 6. The passage is beautiful and encouraging.
"This is what the LORD says:
'In the time of my favor I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
to say to the captives, 'Come out,'
and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'
They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.
They will neither hunger nor thirst,
nor will the desert heat or sun beat upon them.
He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.
I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.
See, they will come from afar...
some from the north, some from the west,
some from the region of Aswan.'
Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord comforts His people
and will have compassion on His afflicted ones."
Isaiah 49:8-13
The day of salvation is here. The time of God's favor is now. Rejoice and burst forth into song because the LORD has compassion on us today.
"This is what the LORD says:
'In the time of my favor I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
to say to the captives, 'Come out,'
and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'
They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.
They will neither hunger nor thirst,
nor will the desert heat or sun beat upon them.
He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.
I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.
See, they will come from afar...
some from the north, some from the west,
some from the region of Aswan.'
Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord comforts His people
and will have compassion on His afflicted ones."
Isaiah 49:8-13
The day of salvation is here. The time of God's favor is now. Rejoice and burst forth into song because the LORD has compassion on us today.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Noah and an Urgent Plea
In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 Paul had just written about how we are ambassadors of Christ. I want to continue on to 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and see more fully what being an ambassador of Christ looks like.
"As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For He says,
'In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.'
I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:1-2
The first thing I want to point out from this passage is, "As God's fellow workers". Soak that in. "As God's fellow workers..." Being an ambassador of Christ, a Christian, means that we work with God. This is an incredible truth. The servants work with the Master. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Paul asked in Romans. When we work with God we cannot fail! Remember that as you work in accordance to God's will, you work with Him and for Him and through His empowering. This is incredible.
Next, "... we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain... I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." Paul urged the people of Corinth and I echo his urging, don't receive God's grace in vain. If you have been delivered God's invitation for salvation, you should accept it. God has been gracious to us to offer us a truce for reconciliation, a peace treaty. While we hated Him, He offered us reconciliation and adoption. Take it! Don't wait because the offer won't stand forever.
This past weekend Noah was the number one movie at the box office. I haven't seen it, but it's effects look spectacular although there has been mixed reviews from people about its authenticity. I'm not going to touch on that because I haven't seen it, but I do want to make a point about the story of Noah.
In Genesis chapters 6-9 we read the story of Noah. God was displeased with the evil on the earth and decided to wipe out the people of the earth because of it. But God offered Noah and his family salvation. In fact 2 Peter 2:5 calls Noah a preacher of righteousness. Perhaps Noah warned others about the flood and told them to get on the ark, too.
Salvation from the flood was offered to at least Noah's family and perhaps everyone Noah preached to. The opportunity for salvation came, but it also left. When the doors of the ark were closed and the rain came there was no escaping disaster. Whoever received God's gracious offer in vain was killed.
It is the same today. God, through His ambassadors, is announcing the day of His favor and it is today. I, and all of God's fellow workers, urge you to accept God's grace today because one day the peace treaty will be off the table and those who are still stubbornly God's enemies will experience the righteous wrath of God. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" I'll ask you a similar question, "If God is against you, what chance do you have?"
Get on the ark. "I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." Don't miss it today.
"As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For He says,
'In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.'
I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:1-2
The first thing I want to point out from this passage is, "As God's fellow workers". Soak that in. "As God's fellow workers..." Being an ambassador of Christ, a Christian, means that we work with God. This is an incredible truth. The servants work with the Master. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Paul asked in Romans. When we work with God we cannot fail! Remember that as you work in accordance to God's will, you work with Him and for Him and through His empowering. This is incredible.
Next, "... we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain... I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." Paul urged the people of Corinth and I echo his urging, don't receive God's grace in vain. If you have been delivered God's invitation for salvation, you should accept it. God has been gracious to us to offer us a truce for reconciliation, a peace treaty. While we hated Him, He offered us reconciliation and adoption. Take it! Don't wait because the offer won't stand forever.
This past weekend Noah was the number one movie at the box office. I haven't seen it, but it's effects look spectacular although there has been mixed reviews from people about its authenticity. I'm not going to touch on that because I haven't seen it, but I do want to make a point about the story of Noah.
In Genesis chapters 6-9 we read the story of Noah. God was displeased with the evil on the earth and decided to wipe out the people of the earth because of it. But God offered Noah and his family salvation. In fact 2 Peter 2:5 calls Noah a preacher of righteousness. Perhaps Noah warned others about the flood and told them to get on the ark, too.
Salvation from the flood was offered to at least Noah's family and perhaps everyone Noah preached to. The opportunity for salvation came, but it also left. When the doors of the ark were closed and the rain came there was no escaping disaster. Whoever received God's gracious offer in vain was killed.
It is the same today. God, through His ambassadors, is announcing the day of His favor and it is today. I, and all of God's fellow workers, urge you to accept God's grace today because one day the peace treaty will be off the table and those who are still stubbornly God's enemies will experience the righteous wrath of God. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" I'll ask you a similar question, "If God is against you, what chance do you have?"
Get on the ark. "I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." Don't miss it today.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
April Fools Day
When I was growing up my little brother and I always pulled a prank on my sister for April Fools' Day. One year we changed things up. One April Fools' Day we did nothing to her all day. She had to have been wondering when the prank would come, but it never did. We didn't even speak of April Fools' Day. She went to bed most likely assuming we had forgotten to prank her or that we'd finally grown up. She was wrong.
When Maggie went to sleep Patrick and I set our alarm for 11:30. We woke up at 11:30 and went around the house quietly changing all the clocks to 8:00. We got dressed and grabbed our book bags. Then at 11:45ish we, in a panic, woke up Maggie.
"We're late for school! Hurry, brush your teeth! We don't have time to shower! Grab my keys and start the car so we can go!"
She shot out of bed and hustled to get dressed and brush her teeth. She was half asleep and in a stressed out panic. I tossed her the keys to my 1988 Pontiac Le Mans, which was a stick shift. She ran outside in the pitch black night and tried to start my car. She couldn't though because she didn't know she needed to push the clutch. She turned the key over and over.
Patrick and I just laughed. We woke up Mom and Larry because we were laughing so hard. Then at 11:59 we ran outside and yelled "April Fools'!" She obviously was pissed and hit us both and went back to bed.
Patrick and I thought that was the best prank ever.
April Fools' Day always has us on the edge. Sure, it is fun but we have our guards up and don't know who to trust.
Thank God that He never plays April Fools' Day pranks. You can take Him at His word 24/7/365. When He says, "Never will I leave you nor forsake you." Take it to the bank. When His Holy Word says, "...Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." You can trust that He won't say, "April Fools'!"
Put your guard down. Trust in the Lord. Believe His promises for you today.
When Maggie went to sleep Patrick and I set our alarm for 11:30. We woke up at 11:30 and went around the house quietly changing all the clocks to 8:00. We got dressed and grabbed our book bags. Then at 11:45ish we, in a panic, woke up Maggie.
"We're late for school! Hurry, brush your teeth! We don't have time to shower! Grab my keys and start the car so we can go!"
She shot out of bed and hustled to get dressed and brush her teeth. She was half asleep and in a stressed out panic. I tossed her the keys to my 1988 Pontiac Le Mans, which was a stick shift. She ran outside in the pitch black night and tried to start my car. She couldn't though because she didn't know she needed to push the clutch. She turned the key over and over.
Patrick and I just laughed. We woke up Mom and Larry because we were laughing so hard. Then at 11:59 we ran outside and yelled "April Fools'!" She obviously was pissed and hit us both and went back to bed.
Patrick and I thought that was the best prank ever.
April Fools' Day always has us on the edge. Sure, it is fun but we have our guards up and don't know who to trust.
Thank God that He never plays April Fools' Day pranks. You can take Him at His word 24/7/365. When He says, "Never will I leave you nor forsake you." Take it to the bank. When His Holy Word says, "...Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." You can trust that He won't say, "April Fools'!"
Put your guard down. Trust in the Lord. Believe His promises for you today.
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