“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12.28 ESV

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12.30 ESV

Day 13 of 40: Offering “God acceptable worship” is worshiping in a way that pleases God. What pleases God in worship? It’s not so much a question of “what” as “how.”

“Our God is a consuming fire”… so tread carefully – with reverence and awe. Our God wants us to love Him with all we have – “heart… soul… mind… and strength”… so give Him all you’ve got.

Today’s reading is instructive and practical. Warren notes that God-pleasing worship has four characteristics: Continue reading “PDL 13 – Worship that Pleases God” →

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4.8 NLT

“My determined purpose is that I may know Him – that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly.”  Philippians 3:10 AMP

Day 12 of 40: “Conversation, focused thinking, honesty and obedience build intimacy, i.e. friendship with God.”

Let’s be clear… any problem I may have of “distance” is not on God’s side. God is with me, for me and in me. As the old saying goes: “If you feel far away from God, guess who moved?”

But, personally, I don’t feel the need to do a lot of talking back and forth with God. Maybe it’s a guy thing… or a personality thing… I don’t know. I’m happy to drive in the car for hours without a lot of conversation. Barbara tells me that I apparently have a very rich inner life… it works for me.

But honesty is important to me. Not because I need to be “real” before God… I’m sure He gets His fill of that. But I honestly do want to know what God thinks about the “think, feel, do” stuff in my life. And I really do want to take on the “mind of Christ” in all matters – large and small. And I do want to live it out in practical ways.

That’s why reading the Bible is so important to me… and trying to apply it to current circumstances and conditions is a never ending process.

I realize that this is off topic but here’s the kind of thing I wrestle with – “justice and mercy” – as applied to people who live totally irresponsible lives, make consistently bad choices, and expect me to pick up the tab directly (charity) or indirectly (taxes).

I get the issue of giving mercy just as freely as I have received mercy… but… if that involves my continual support of their bad behavior… Where’s the justice? Haven’t I just become an enabler… and nothing changes? I just don’t see Jesus as an enabler of bad behavior.

Anyhow – back to the topic: “Lord Jesus, help me to understand your mind in the choices I face today and give me a willing spirit to do what you want me to do.”

“Now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:11 NLT

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

• You know when I sit down or stand up.
• You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
• You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
• You know everything I do.
• You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
• You go before me and follow me.
• You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!   Psalm 139:1-6 NLT

Day 11 of 40: What a friend we have in Jesus! He is one-of-a-kind… like no other friend we will ever have.

Imagine, a person who knows everything there is to know about us – absolutely nothing hidden from Him – and still He “places a hand of blessing on our heads.” That’s way beyond my understanding.

Sometimes I think of God as one who loves me but wants to straighten me out… sort of like ironing out a wrinkled shirt. But my relationship with God has gone beyond that.

“All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends….” 2 Corinthians 5:18 GNT

From God’s perspective, I’m perma-pressed… no stains, no wrinkles. He loves me and wants me to consciously live in His presence… all the time.

No time outs… no breaks… no out-of-sight… no out-of-earshot… no out-of-mind… all the time. Not as someone who oppressively looks over my shoulder to fix me. But as one whose hand on my head is a “hand of blessing.”

Wow – I am a friend of God… He knows my name.

“So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.” Romans 12:1 GNT

Day 10 of 40: Surrender, offering, sacrifice are at the heart of worship. Fear, pride and confusion prevent the surrender that God wants from us.

• Love overcomes fear.
• Humility overcomes pride.
• Obedience overcomes confusion.

I really don’t have to understand what’s going on in my life right now… but I do need to trust in God’s love for me; admit my limitations; and rely on God to work things out.

“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.” Psalm 37:7 NLT

This is a recurring theme in my reflections… I think it’s time for me to “sit down and shut up.”