As For Me, I will Worship......

You must not have any other god but me. Exodus 20:3

One thing I noticed as I was reading through Revelation….the main theme seems to be about worship. In other words, who or what you worship. No matter what’s going on throughout the book, there is a ton of worship going on.

Look at some of these examples:

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
    the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
    to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
    and they exist because you created what you pleased.” Revelation 4:8-11

More of this worship is repeated in Chapter 5.

“Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.” Revelation 14:7

Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:

“Praise the Lord!
    For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice,
    and let us give honor to him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
    and his bride has prepared herself.
8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
    For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. Revelation 19:6-8

No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:3-5

There are other texts about worship - worship of Satan. In the latter part of the Book it is very clear that some will not worship God. They are choosing to worship their idols instead. We look at that and think that we are not idol worshipers but I bet we all have an idol. An idol is anything that is more important to us than our relationship with Jesus. It could be our work, our play, our image, our stuff, another person….think about it. I know there are things in my life that I need to move off the throne of my heart so I can one hundred percent follow God.

In the end, the battle is going to be over your heart. Who are you worshiping?

O Lord Jesus, teach us to worship you and you alone. Amen.

Your Job Description

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT)

When I first see the line “Work hard to show the results of your salvation,” I balk. Your salvation is by grace and grace alone through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. So what does this mean?

Let’s start with verse thirteen. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” First and foremost, God is in it. He is active in your life and in your heart. He is prompting you, filling you with the desire to do what he’s calling you to do.

This is where our work comes in. We have to do what he says. The words “work out” here mean “to complete, to accomplish”. The process starts with God’s prompting, moves to us obeying said promptings and is finished with grace because let’s face it, we don’t obey perfectly.

That process, that relationship ends in our salvation.

The Bible is very clear. This whole Christianity thing is about being in a relationship with God. It’s about living life with God working in us and following his leading. If we were going to put together a job description for Christians some of the Job Responsibilities would be:

• Listen to God every day and do what he says

• Read the instruction manual and follow it

• Share what you’ve learned with other people so they can learn too

• Other duties as assigned (my personal favorite)

Do we have work to do as Christians? Absolutely! But let’s not confuse our role in the relationship versus the saving sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Stop Trying So Hard

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

If asked, I would have to admit I am a Type A personality.  Even though I believe that as I get closer to Jesus, that A inches more toward an A- or B+ because I am learning to let the Holy Spirit lead in my thoughts, my decisions and my reactions.

This is solely the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Nothing I do saves me. Nothing I accomplish helps me be Heaven-Bound. This is all the gift of God through Jesus. Imagine if getting to heaven were accomplished because of the tasks we did. Heaven would be filled with a bunch of competitive, over-achievers.  That might be a little annoying.  (Smile)

Today’s verse was summed up best by a paragraph in The Voice (a translation of the Bible):

The relationship between faith and works is often misunderstood. Some think that salvation is God’s reward for good deeds. If that’s true, then it can’t possibly be a gift. If it were a reward, then heaven would be a place where people might compare notes on what they did to make it through the gates. But Paul is confident in the truth of the gospel. The truth is that salvation is God’s gift through Jesus. Grace and faith make salvation real in us. When we are transformed by grace, then we become His new creation and begin to live out the good works He has planned for us. Works, then, aren’t the cause of salvation; they are its result. To put it another way, works aren’t the means of salvation; they are its presence. 

If you are working to be saved; if you think that you have to check the box to be “right” with God; stop. What he wants is a relationship with you.  He wants your heart, not your deeds. When you give him that, he’ll do the rest.  He already has a plan. 

It's Really Not About You

God is love. 1 John 4:8

Notice what this text does not say?

It does not say "God is loving because you didn't get angry yesterday."

It does not say "God is loving because you didn't lie cheat or steal this week." or "You made all the right decisions so God loves you." or "You went to church this weekend so you are loved." How about "You totally flubbed that one up so you are not loved."

It doesn't say any of those things. As a matter of fact, it doesn't talk about us at all! It talks about God and who God is. It simply says "God is love." That's who he is and his love is not dependent on us.

Does he like it when we make bad choices? No. Does he wish we'd lean on him more and make better choices? Yes. Will he love us more if we make better choices? No. When we make bad choices, does he still love us? Yes.

I'm not sure where the idea came from that to be loved by God you had to perform.....oh wait that started in the Garden of Eden.....OK. So we know where it came from. But we also know it's a lie. When Adam and Eve didn't perform God came looking for them. He sought them out and he talked to them. Did they have to face the consequences of their decision? Yes. But he also provided for them in the midst of it. Why? Because God is love.

God's unconditional love is a gift. We don't deserve it. It's totally free. How about we stop believing the lie that we have to earn it? How about we stop making this about us and instead make it about God. What he wants from us is a relationship, not a completed list of accomplishments. Besides, our meager accomplishments are miniscule compared to what he's already done.

Distracted and Late

All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. Revelation 1:5b (NLT)

18 people. There were 18 people coming to lunch after church. Normally, my husband and I pull these off without a hitch but he wasn't going to be around this day. No problem, I thought. I pulled off huge parties by myself before we were married. I can still do this.

I had a plan. First, I planned the menu and made sure that it wasn't too complicated. I had a busy week so I made sure to buy the groceries early in the week. I took Good Friday off and made a couple of the big dishes. The morning of, I knew what I was supposed to do and when I had to do it.

Did I mention I had company for the weekend? Some of my family was staying with us. And, did I mention that my grandson also spent the night? No worries! I had it all figured out. The morning of the lunch came and I was still doing OK. I knew when I had to put the turkey in the oven so it would cook while we were at church for Bible Study and the Service.

Then, my grandson got really tired super early, an hour and a half before his normal nap time. Well, I thought, I'll let him take his nap and we'll skip Bible Study and just go to service. He went right to sleep. Then, as I was prepping food, I got into a great conversation with my nephew. After a little bit, I looked at the clock and OH NO! I forgot to put the turkey in. I was a full hour late!

I popped it in and prayed that it would cook fast and off we all went to church. When we got home, the turkey wasn't done and 18 people were waiting around for it to finish. Of course, everyone was hungry and I felt terrible. My family was super gracious and very understanding but I was pretty hard on myself. I'd pulled this off so many times before - what happened? I had a plan!

As we bowed our heads to thank God for the meal, I realized that this is what Easter is all about. In spite of our best efforts, all the planning, the prepping and the good intentions, we still make mistakes. We still mess up. And God says "It's OK. Your worth is not defined by your performance; it's defined by your love for me. Relax and enjoy."

Thank you, Jesus. It's good to be able to take a deep breath and enjoy the life you have given me. And it’s good to know that it’s not all about me. Amen.

It's Subtle, But Huge

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” John 12:13 (NIV)

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowd went wild. Here was their King! He was going to save them. He was going to change their world. They shouted "Hosanna!" which means save us." And Jesus was planning to do just that. But, not the way they expected.

There was a subtle detail to Jesus entrance into Jerusalem that they overlooked. Jesus was on a donkey. Historically, if a King was coming as a conqueror (which is what the Jews wanted) he rode into the town on a horse - probably a war horse. Jesus rode in on a donkey. When a king rode in on a donkey, he came in peace.

How often do we expect Jesus to show up and with a sweep of his mighty hand remove all of our troubles. We want him to crush our enemies! We want him to squash our problems and give us the peace we deserve as his followers! We almost expect it. We forget. We forget that the most important thing to God is our hearts.

Jesus doesn't want to charge in and take over. He wants to enter in and grow a relationship. Sure, he wants to be our King - not a king who will conquer us - but a King that will bring peace to our world. He wants to deliver a peace that will transcend all the enemies and the problems; a peace that is beyond understanding.

Do we, like the Israelites, miss the donkey? Do we miss the message Jesus is sending each day as he communicates with us? Do we want something so badly for ourselves that we lose sight of the bigger picture?  How about you? As you look at Jesus, what are you expecting?

Looking for Life

Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? Luke 24:5 (NLT)

The Bible is great at asking questions that are hard to answer or that make you think. So let me ask you, do you ever look for life by staring at death? We don't usually do that. We look for life among the living. When Jesus came the Bible says he came so we could live life abundantly. How often do we choose instead to live life boxed in?

When we choose to stare at our troubles and stay focused on our feelings of hopelessness, Jesus is not there. He told us we'd have troubles. He also told us he had already overcome those. He's alive!

When we focus on the past and not the future, when we decide that we cannot do anything worthwhile because of mistakes we made, Jesus is not there. He didn't die and rise again so we could walk through life on our own merit. He died and rose again so we can know we are forever forgiven and that in him all things are possible.

Most importantly, readjusting our thinking so we look at living our lives the very best we can because we've been given an opportunity greater than anyone could imagine, that is choosing life. And that is worship. We can bow down, praise and worship in the here and now because Jesus is not among the dead. He is alive!

Ewww, It's Dark Out There

From noon to three, the whole earth was dark. Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Matthew 27:46 (MSG)

Think of the person in your life that is the closest to you. You would trust them with anything. No matter what, they will always be there for you. You've shared the good, the bad and the really ugly and they stay close. Maybe it's a parent, a spouse, a child, a sibling or a best friend. Now imagine that you were in trouble. Things are really bad and they are about to get worse.

Your closest confident, your support system is near. You know they are there even though you can't see them. Calling out, you tell them to come. If they come, everything will be better. But they don't come. You cry out more loudly. Still there is no response. You have been abandoned. Sounds like a nightmare, doesn't it?

The crush on your heart causes you to not be able to breathe. The knot in your stomach is painful. And your mind is reeling. Why? What did I do? Where are you?

As Jesus hung on the cross, he was unable to connect with his main source of love and life. He and God were one. They were connected at the hip - two peas in a pod. What God wanted, Jesus did and God in turn blessed him. Their mission was the same. Their thinking identical. And Jesus looked to God every minute of every day for guidance. And then he was gone. Not only was it dark on the outside, it was dark on the inside as well. Jesus could not see the light that he relied on for his life line. The sin placed on Jesus was too much and God had withdrawn. Jesus crushed and heartbroken at the absence of his adoration, died.

As I contemplate those moments, I can't imagine the pain and heartbreak. But, I can't help it; I don't linger there long. My sadness turns to praise as I realize that because Jesus faced the ultimate darkness, I don't have to. Never, ever, ever do I need to wonder if God has abandoned me. Never, ever, ever do I need to worry that I am alone. I am never abandoned and I am never alone because Jesus was willing to face the darkest night.