Who, how and when a man worships determines everything about his life!
As I look into the lives of biblical characters and read the Scriptures associated with them: Adam (Gen. 3:15), Abraham (Gen. 12:1-8), Moses (Ex. 12:1-28), Isaiah (Is. 6:1-5), and the early Church (Acts 2), what can men learn about commitment to worship that will provide a foundation for our family and roots for our relationships?
Scripture couldn't be more clear in Romans 12:1-2 - "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." - that worship is about a man's entire being.
The result is transformation from worldy-mindedness and proof of God's will which is demonstrated in our lives.
So what do you think?
That... would be some of my favorite scriptures. (Romans 12:1-2)
ReplyDeleteTotal Submission. Total Sacrifice. I think that in the busyness of life we tend to compartmentalize our lives. Worship in this corner, husband in this corner, etc, all in the name of efficiency. Really though, if we want to be totally efficient we need to let our worship be infused in all parts of our lives. It needs to be the "glue" that supports and holds all of us together. (now I need to blog about this-thanks!)
ReplyDeletethe problem with being a living sacrifice is we keep crawling off the altar.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that those examples of Godly men all did was wait for whatever God did over a long period. How often we get caught up in the instant gratification theory that our world has and God is not interested in the speed of His answer to our requests, but in the relationship between Himself and us that those requests should be coming out of.
ReplyDeleteOn worship: what are some of the different ways that we all have of worshiping Him? I am certain that some of the most worshipful times in my life have occurred while I was running on my own. I had this great sense inside my mind and body of God saying, "Great Job! You are doing what I delight in. Praise Me as you run because it is a living sacrifice to me." Wow! I love it when the small voice is an awful lot like a Ty Pennington bullhorn!
Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteDuring our staff day away your dad showed an "Answers in Genesis" video. I was surprised by the worship that welled up from deep within me as I watched the video of God's amazing creation.
An interesting read on how individuals have different pathways to worship is called "Sacred Pathways" by Gary Thomas. very helpful book in understanding how God has uniquely fit us to worship him and approach him.
Definitely worth the read!