Tag Archives: worship

Loving God

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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, NIV 2010*

Jesus said this is the most important commandment. Love isn’t just a feeling. It’s an act of will, a choice. And it’s what God wants most from us: love in action.

We know that outward-only love, the going-through-the-motions action without any heart behind it, isn’t what God wants. Nor is it what our family and friends want. It’s legalism, hypocrisy. Fake.

Gratitude, appreciation, respect, honour, obedience… these can be earned. Even required, by people and by God.

True love is a response to who God is, not to what He does. We can’t give it without knowing Him. But we need to throw our whole selves into it: heart, soul, mind and strength.

Father God, please draw our hearts to love You for who You are, to worship You with all that’s in us. Don’t let us settle for anything less than a growing relationship with You. We love because You loved us first. Teach us to reflect it back to You in abundance, with all our hearts, souls, minds and strengths, knowing it all comes from You.

∞

Because this love needs to be active, here’s Phil Wickham’s “After Your Heart”.

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Come as You Are

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And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV*

You know how, some weeks, you’re ready for Sunday worship. There’s a reverent hush in your spirit before you even walk into church, a holy waiting that warms you towards your congregation and makes it easy to hear God speak through song, Scripture, sermon.

Then there are other weeks when you show up because it’s the right thing to do, you smile and hug and do what you expect of yourself, but there’s no sign of life on the inside.

Well, maybe you don’t know. For me, these are the two extremes, and the first is less common than the last. Usually I’m somewhere in the middle.

Sunday past was one of those “show up and smile” days. If I go to church sad, I feel like a fake in my “happy” guise. But I know I’ve come to the best place to find help. Going empty feels even phonier, but it shouldn’t. Where better to fill up?

As the service started, I looked around at the congregation—people of whom I’m genuinely fond—and didn’t feel any more connected with them than with God. I was sort of apologizing to Him, sorry to be that way and thinking, “All I could do was come as I am.”

His response was so quiet I didn’t recognize Him at first—the sudden idea that we’re welcome to “come as you are” in obedient trust.

So He said it again in the opening song: “Come, Now is the Time to Worship” has that “just as you are” tone too.

Father, You draw us to worship, and in You we find life and light. Help us to do our part daily to prepare our souls, and help us trust You to daily do Your part to prepare them too. I praise You for the mystery of relationship with You, how we can’t come to You unless the Holy Spirit draws us, but yet we still need to make the choice to come.

∞

Here’s Brian Doerksen’s “Come, Now is the Time to Worship,” sung by Hillsong.

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Friday Findings 4

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The “Practicing True Worship” webinar with Canadian singer/songwriter/writer Carolyn Arends is now available online on the Kyria blog. Some of the content applies more to worship leaders, but most of it is useful for any of us who want to make worship a more authentic part of our lives. I need to listen to it again, because I know I missed some things.

∞

FlyLady’s website has lots of tips and information, including a detailed cleaning plan for each “zone” of your house. I’m not ready for that yet but I’ve found the daily action plans really helpful in reclaiming my home from the clutter. It’s a bit of a pain to sign up for the emails, but only because it’s one more username/password etc. to create and remember. It’s not hard, and I wish I hadn’t waited so long to do it. Still, progress is being made! [My tip: choose “digest” mode or you’ll get a bunch of individual emails.]

∞

You don’t have to be a country music fan to like The Keats’ catchy “Give Me a Ring“. They’re a vibrant, Nova Scotia-based band on the rise. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsclWb4QljQ] If you like what you hear, these links will take you to The Keats’ Facebook page or The Keats’ MySpace page.

He Is Who He Is

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…if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
2 Timothy 1:13, NIV*

And this is why we can trust Him: we can trust His character. God can’t be other than who He is.

I look at the foolishness, immorality and capriciousness of the Greek and Roman gods and the only reason I can figure that people worshiped them was fear. Not the good kind, the healthy respect and awareness of sovereignty that God asks of us, but the terror and need-to-appease kind.

God’s character—and our understanding of it—is central to our ability to live in confident faith in Him. He is who He is. As the hymn declares, “there is no shadow of turning” in Him. Not even a hint of uncertainty. No reason to doubt.

At times He relents, like when the people of Nineveh changed their ways. That’s good: it means He allows second chances. But He never goes back on His word. And He’s faithful to all His promises.

Holy and sovereign God, You are worthy of worship and I praise You. You are worthy of our worship, our trust, and our love. And You love us. You’ve proven that through Your Son. Teach us and help us to live by faith in You, so that we can grow into all You’ve designed us to be.

∞

Let Vicky Beeching’s song, “Yesterday, Today and Forever,” lift our spirits in worship today.

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Review: Having a Mary Spirit, by Joanna Weaver

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Having a Mary Spirit, by Joanna Weaver (2006, WaterBrook Press)

“Maybe you’ve discovered, as I have, that most of your New Year’s resolutions have little effect on day-to-day life except to add a burden of guilt and a feeling of failure. Continually striving, yet never arriving. Hoping, praying to be different, only waking up to find you’re not as far along as you’d hoped.

“I know. I’ve felt that way too.” (page 2)

If you’ve read Joanna Weaver’s first book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, you’ll remember that she explores Jesus’ relationship with Mary and Martha: how He values the sisters’ individuality and desires each of them to have both hearts and hands for Him.

You may also remember Joanna’s engaging, at times humorous, writing style. Her insights and her writing in the first book left me ready to read anything else she’d write. I was delighted to receive this book for Christmas 2006, but for some reason it sat on my shelf until 2010.

When I picked it up this year, I discovered it spoke to the very issues God was addressing in my life. Surprise!

This is a book for Christian women who want to change—want that Mary spirit—but can’t make it stick. As Joanna so transparently points out, of course we can’t do it on our own. That’s God’s job, and He’d like to get at it if we’ll please give Him room to move.

As the back cover says, the book “directs your gaze past your own shortcomings to the God who stands ready, willing, and able to make a new woman out of you.” It’s not about us—it’s about Him.

The book’s subtitle is “Allowing God to change us, from the inside out.” Having a Mary Spirit is filled with practical teaching, personal examples, and text boxes of focused tips and quotes. It never claims the road to change is easy, but it shows why God wants to change us and how we can cooperate. Sadly, He won’t just “zap” us into spiritual maturity.

Joanna Weaver looks at some of the causes of our failure to change: self-reliance, believing lies, and perhaps chief: our natural selves, who deep down oppose the change.

One area that stood out to me was Joanna’s focus on our thoughts: the lies we accept, and the feelings we believe over the truth. It’s not enough to merely recognize these things, so she gives us clear alternatives.

For example, the chapter titled “Mind Control” offers scripture antidotes for various feelings like fear, anger, depression or confusion. I’ve found that declaring biblical truth saps a lot of impact from these feelings, so I can put them in their place and deal with what may have caused them. (Interestingly, they’re often caused by my natural self, “Flesh Woman” as Joanna calls her, trying to pull me back from God-focus to me-focus.)

The book shows that having a Mary spirit requires guarding our minds and hearts—and of course, trusting God. It includes a Bible study guide for individuals or groups, as well as other resources.

Having a Mary Spirit is definitely a keeper. It encouraged and ministered to me, and I’ll need to go back through it at times for a refresher lesson or two. You can read an excerpt here and download a reproducible Bible study guide and leader’s guide here.

The study guide is the same as the one in the book, but it lets you write workbook-style instead of squeezing your thoughts into a bound book. (And it keeps your book unmarked so you can share it.)

Joanna Weaver’s Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World is a best-seller, and I expect Having a Mary Spirit will be too if it isn’t already. These aren’t trendy books with limited shelf life. They apply to the perennial needs of Christian women.

Joanna is also the author of With This Ring, a gift book that “celebrates the beauty, delight, and mystery of married love”. And I’m excited to discover that her next book, The Lazarus Factor, will release in February 2011.

You can find Joanna at her website, Becoming His. Having a Mary Spirit is available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean, and in print, audio and Kindle formats. See here for more details.

Praying into the Light

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Give ear, O God, and hear;
open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name.
We do not make requests of you because we are righteous,
but because of your great mercy.
Daniel 9:18, NIV*

Sometimes the very magnitude of  prayer needs can reach a point where prayer feels more like a barrier to fellowship with the Lord than a doorway into His presence. We ask and don’t receive. We knock and hear no answer. The mountain’s not going anywhere but up.

Still God invites us to bring our cares and needs to Him. (1 Peter 5:7)

As we pray, may God grant us to yearn for Him, to see Him, to be still long enough to sense His presence. We may come because of external need, but let’s stay until we’re reminded that our souls’ real need is Him.

Father, thank You we can find our rest in You, that we can bring all things to You, our Rock and our Salvation. Turn our eyes and hearts to Yourself, and by Your presence give us hope. Help us rejoice  no matter what our circumstances, because You are mighty to save, and You are with us.

Let the song “Hosanna,” by Paul Baloche, be our prayer today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BZoDH2H1Ls

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Submitting to God

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Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you… Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
James 4:7,8,10 NIV*

Submission… our independent natures bristle at the word, and it conjures images of weakness, humiliation, subservience. I think that’s because of how the powerful have abused their status.

The NIV titles the bulk of James 4 “Submit Yourselves to God,” and there’s no connotation of abuse at all. If we stop and think about it…

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He laid down His life for us. We can trust His love.

The Prophet Jeremiah and the Apostle Paul speak of God’s plan to work all things out for good for those who love Him. We may not see how this will happen, but we can trust His intentions.

Our God is the one who spoke the universe into being, sent and stopped Noah’s flood, and who through Jesus calmed the storm, healed the sick, and raised the dead. We can trust His ability to look after us. (Yes, He sometimes allows His people to be martyred, but even there He has a purpose and we can be sure He carries their spirits safely into His healing presence.)

Sovereign Lord, help me start each day by submitting myself to You and committing to listen for Your leading and to obey in trust. You know the end from the beginning, and You are good. Remind me when I try to go my own way, and when I falter help my unbelief. My spirit finds its rest and true purpose in You.

Let this week’s song be our prayer: “Creator King” by Irish worship leader Kathryn Scott.

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Speak to One Another

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Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. … Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:15, 19-20, NIV*

I can’t stand sales team pep rallies. You know, the impassioned speaker who gets listeners “all fired up,” leads in a group cheer, and works them into such a frenzy of eagerness that they practically trip over each other on their way out the door to convince the world to buy what they’re offering.

We do need encouragement and motivation, especially in those occupations which encounter a lot of negativity or opposition, but I don’t know if hype is really the best way to provide it.

We also need encouragement and motivation in living the Christian life, whether we’re experiencing outright opposition or just the general wearing-down of daily stress. Again, spare me the theatrics.

St. Paul told us to be alert and intentional about how we live. He knew how easily we can miss opportunities or be distracted from the underlying battle, or even be distracted from God.

With all our busyness, it seems like we rush into and out of church or Bible study groups and never have time to encourage one another. Our pastors and leaders can only pack so much into a message or worship service.

Technology changes things. You’ll often find me listening to a worship CD or to K-LOVE to let the songs keep me focused, and I’m trying to share encouragement through this blog. But the first and best way involves actual human contact.

When we take time to hear one another, we can share a word, a prayer, a song. Nobody wants a pat, trite answer, but a Spirit-inspired bit of encouragement from one Christian to another can really help.

Father, thank You for Scripture, and for the way You speak through fellow believers. Please help us encourage one another with words from You. And help us keep silent when all we have is words from ourselves.

I’m thankful for so many strong Christian music artists who share encouragement. Here’s a song to keep us on track today, by Steven Curtis Chapman: “Not Home Yet“.

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Without a Doubt

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If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
James 1:5-8, NIV*

I used to think these verses meant I had to be sure I’d get what I asked from God. The kicker was, I wasn’t always sure what He wanted to give.

It’s clear from other parts of the Bible that we need to ask in keeping with God’s will. (We don’t even need to leave the Book of James to see this: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3, NIV)

Sometimes we have “how” or the “why” doubts, but James is talking about the “Who” doubts: about God’s character. It’s okay to be unsure of what to pray for, but we need to be sure of God. His character is revealed in Scripture and in our lives, and we need to remember and rely on it.

I have a friend whose cancer sounds terminal. Does God want to heal her, or to reward her with Heaven? I don’t know. But I can pray for God’s care in the details of her life, without any doubt in His love and provision for her.

The two men I’m praying for with depression/alcohol issues… Jesus came to set the captives free. I can be confident He wants to finish the job in their lives.

The people He’s placed on my heart who don’t know Him… God is not willing that anyone should perish (2 Peter 3:9) and I know it’s His prompting that has me praying. He longs to adopt them as His own.

In the end, it’s all about God. The better we know Him, the easier it is to trust Him. He gives us the faith, but we need to walk in it.

Our song this week is Jeremy Camp‘s “Trust in You.”

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.