I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
The chorus of this song is reminding me that all I do in my life, it is meant for the glory of God in the highest, to worship Him with every aspect of my life.
I've been forgetting that. In my busy-ness, the end goal of why I do all that I do sort of slipped under the table.
In reading a research article for class, do I do it for You Lord?
When I spend an hour at work, giving a test, do I do it for You Lord?
In playing frisbee with friends and seeing it as a time of fellowship, do I do it for You Lord?
Every word and action that I direct towards my girlfriend, a beautiful daughter of Yours, do I do it for You Lord?
I have to confess, I'm at a point where all these things I don't do with a heart of worship. Mixed in there is a heart of selfish desires, a heart of anger, a heart of fear, a heart of idolization, a heart of pride, a heart of independence and not dependence on You Lord...
Colossians 3 is giving me a refreshing view:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things...Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry...Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him...Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
This part of the chapter emphasized itself to me:
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him...Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men
Lord, on Your strength and by Your grace, please get me back to the heart of worshiping You Jesus. In all I do.
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worship. Show all posts
10.11.2009
7.17.2009
music to dance for Jesus...
sit back, close your eyes, listen to this awesome song, and dance for your King
3.17.2009
that's church!
Last night, I was able to go to a home worship session. We sang, prayed, and offered our hearts to the Lord.
Other than being really awesome, it was really awesome.
There is something about an informal setting, being in the company of brothers and sisters who share a love for Jesus and a desire to serve Him, that makes all these bells go off in your head of "ding, ding, ding...you're getting it just right!!"
In fact, historical definitions of the word "church" mean more "the company of Christians that composed the spiritual body"...not necessarily what we understand "church" to mean in our contemporary culture.
It's not like we were doing something unique and original to the Christian identity for the first time in all of history. I do think the house church model has some very appealing elements to it -- namely that you are hitting the heart of Christian community and providing a setting that is potentially more comfortable and inviting than an institutionalized, professionalized church.
In fact, the early church was much like what we did last night.
Throughout the Book of Acts, we see various instances of healings, fellowship meetings, meals, and times of worship taking place in the context of home meetings.
See for yourself! Acts 2:1, 2:37-47, Acts 16 (40) when Paul gets out of prison...
Home worship, offering our lives to the Lord together...now that's church!
Other than being really awesome, it was really awesome.
There is something about an informal setting, being in the company of brothers and sisters who share a love for Jesus and a desire to serve Him, that makes all these bells go off in your head of "ding, ding, ding...you're getting it just right!!"
In fact, historical definitions of the word "church" mean more "the company of Christians that composed the spiritual body"...not necessarily what we understand "church" to mean in our contemporary culture.
It's not like we were doing something unique and original to the Christian identity for the first time in all of history. I do think the house church model has some very appealing elements to it -- namely that you are hitting the heart of Christian community and providing a setting that is potentially more comfortable and inviting than an institutionalized, professionalized church.
In fact, the early church was much like what we did last night.
Throughout the Book of Acts, we see various instances of healings, fellowship meetings, meals, and times of worship taking place in the context of home meetings.
See for yourself! Acts 2:1, 2:37-47, Acts 16 (40) when Paul gets out of prison...
Home worship, offering our lives to the Lord together...now that's church!
1.09.2009
this song rocks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdO7PQkALns
I think it's an awesome song. A good reminder that we worship Jesus for who He is. Not who we want Him to be. Or when it is convenient for us to worship Him.
He is the center.
We revolve, by incredible grace, around Him.
I think it's an awesome song. A good reminder that we worship Jesus for who He is. Not who we want Him to be. Or when it is convenient for us to worship Him.
He is the center.
We revolve, by incredible grace, around Him.
10.02.2008
a wonderful prayer for today
Fernando Ortega is the man. These lyrics are a wonderful prayer for today. You don't necessarily have to watch the video, please just let the words and the melody soak in.
9.08.2008
please carry this hymn with you this week
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
(REPEAT)
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
(REPEAT)
7.08.2008
When is it time to worship?
With that question asked, it's good to think of
a) what is worship in the first place, and
b) what purpose does it serve?
Worship is intimate communion time with God. A time to celebrate the burdens we've been carrying. A time to express our thankfulness for the joy the Lord has put into our lives. A time to receive from the Lord. He loves it when we worship Him. He absolutely loves it!
And I don't think that's selfish or prideful of the Lord. I think He's above having those human characteristics applied to Him, and well, I believe He made us with an intentional purpose to worship Him. When we do what we were made to do, that makes a lot of sense! It's not an accident that we in turn, when we worship, have great senses of worth and being AND/OR brokenness and purposelessness when we worship. That's because as we worship, there's an almost immediate feedback sense that we're living and doing the action verb we were meant to do. Or not. When we feel broken in worship, we are recognizing that we've been straying from our purpose. This is a dumb analogy, but I bet a zebra would feel pretty lousy about itself if it tried to play basketball. It's a zebra, it's meant to run around in a harem (zebra word for 'pack' or 'flock') and hang out eating grass, not drill threes and throw down.
Worship is a necessary, life-sustaining event to be practiced, a time in the midst of our earthly lives to remind ourselves of that original creation purpose. The foreshadowing promise we get from Revelation is that's what we'll do in Heaven: worship (Rev 7: 9-17). If that's how the Lord wants it in Glory, then I think we ought to try and practice up as much as possible down here.
This new song by Hillsong (after the singer's testimony) has some great lyrics that speak well to those times when we should worship..."...in every season..." All those seasons we go through in life (Ecclesiastes 3, or just listen to the Byrds), THAT is the time to worship. There are times that it will be easy to worship. There will be times that are difficult, times when we'll feel scared or angry or intimidated by the thought of worship. But I really think we should do it, regardless of what we're facing at the moment in life. This video is a really solid testimony and an encouragement to worship even in the face of tragedy and loss. It's very real. The lyrics in the song speak right to the issue of when to worship. The song follows the testimony.
a) what is worship in the first place, and
b) what purpose does it serve?
Worship is intimate communion time with God. A time to celebrate the burdens we've been carrying. A time to express our thankfulness for the joy the Lord has put into our lives. A time to receive from the Lord. He loves it when we worship Him. He absolutely loves it!
And I don't think that's selfish or prideful of the Lord. I think He's above having those human characteristics applied to Him, and well, I believe He made us with an intentional purpose to worship Him. When we do what we were made to do, that makes a lot of sense! It's not an accident that we in turn, when we worship, have great senses of worth and being AND/OR brokenness and purposelessness when we worship. That's because as we worship, there's an almost immediate feedback sense that we're living and doing the action verb we were meant to do. Or not. When we feel broken in worship, we are recognizing that we've been straying from our purpose. This is a dumb analogy, but I bet a zebra would feel pretty lousy about itself if it tried to play basketball. It's a zebra, it's meant to run around in a harem (zebra word for 'pack' or 'flock') and hang out eating grass, not drill threes and throw down.
Worship is a necessary, life-sustaining event to be practiced, a time in the midst of our earthly lives to remind ourselves of that original creation purpose. The foreshadowing promise we get from Revelation is that's what we'll do in Heaven: worship (Rev 7: 9-17). If that's how the Lord wants it in Glory, then I think we ought to try and practice up as much as possible down here.
This new song by Hillsong (after the singer's testimony) has some great lyrics that speak well to those times when we should worship..."...in every season..." All those seasons we go through in life (Ecclesiastes 3, or just listen to the Byrds), THAT is the time to worship. There are times that it will be easy to worship. There will be times that are difficult, times when we'll feel scared or angry or intimidated by the thought of worship. But I really think we should do it, regardless of what we're facing at the moment in life. This video is a really solid testimony and an encouragement to worship even in the face of tragedy and loss. It's very real. The lyrics in the song speak right to the issue of when to worship. The song follows the testimony.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)