Character

Alphonse Karr had a great statement about character.  He wrote, 

“Every man has three characters - that which he exhibits, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has.”  

Romans 12:3 exhorts us to evaluate ourselves, not thinking too highly (or lowly) of ourselves, but honestly looking at who we are and where God wants us to be.  Character is so critical if Christians are going to worship with integrity and reach out to others with the gospel effectively.  It is the number one complaint about Christians on the lips of those who are not following Jesus: “Christians are hypocrites.”  

We are called to look at ourselves with sober judgment and then to open the door for God’s Spirit to begin transforming us from the inside-out to better reflect the God we represent.  

Let the character we think and hope we have line up with the character that we do have!! 

Worshipping A Great And Holy God

I was reminded of how important our focus and intentions are when it comes to worship when I heard a rather disturbing story from a pastor friend of mine.  At the church he shepherds, they serve communion every Sunday as people are leaving the service.  There is a time to reflect and prepare your heart and then at the doors, you receive the bread and the cup.  

One day, as my friend stood by the doors, a man—well-dressed, well-groomed—came up to the communion table while talking with his buddy on a cell phone.  He stopped the chatter long enough to down the bread and the grape juice, winked at the pastor and on he went.  

Worship is a wonderful, celebratory thing. We combine our joy in the Lord with our joy with one another.  But make no mistake, we also assemble before a great and holy God who deserves our focus, our timeliness and our authentic thanksgivings.

Bible Study Exists To Create Worshippers!

This passage in Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Bible is more than lifeless ink on a page.  

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

It is alive, active and it delves deep into our hearts to assess who we really are.  That can be a scary proposition because we never like to look at the places where God wants to help us be formed into a better reflection of Christ.  But, to resist this movement of God in our lives is like resisting going to the doctor because we know he might have to diagnose some disease.  At the same time, he can also offer a cure.  

When we study the Scriptures with a heart to be a full-bodied worshipper, that is God’s ultimate desire for us.  We love Bible studies.  We love Bibles!  As Americans, we average almost four Bibles per person.  But, what God wants us to love is His work in our hearts to make us all that we were originally designed to be!

Full-Bodied Worship

One of the interesting thoughts from the Psalms and the Book of Revelation is that worship is continually going on around us.  Creation is worshipping God and giving Him glory in its design.  The angels are worshipping God unceasingly in the heavenly throne room.  The one group from God's creation that seems to pick and choose when and whether to worship is the human race.  

My challenge to myself first, and to you second, is that we change that mode of existence; that we see everything we do as potentially a gift to God that exalts Him.  We need to be a people engaged in "living worship" - worship that is alive, worship that is done in all of the facets of our lives!

The Fear Of The Lord

Recently, I did the bridge-walk that sits underneath one of the highest bridges in the country.  As our group walked out over the New River Gorge in West Virginia, we looked down some 900 feet to the river below.  It was an awesome sight, and I mean awesome in the sense that it invoked a certain level of fear and trembling.  It took our breath away!

That is one of the ways the Bible describes worship - it is a “fear of the LORD”.  As I stood there taking pictures, wishing the pictures could fully convey the majesty and thrill of what we were seeing, I had this thought: “When was the last time my thoughts of God took my breath away?  When was the last time I grieved that my words and joy would not adequately express to someone else the power of God’s presence that I experienced?”.  

It is important for followers of Jesus to think of this “fear”, this worship of God, and to seek the Spirit’s work in our hearts to legitimately bring us to our knees before Him.

"Missions Exists Because Worship Doesn't"

John Piper wrote one of the best quotes on missions that I have ever read:  

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”  

What we do missionally is to bring others to a place of worship of Jesus Christ.  And when we see God’s work through our missional efforts, what we really see is the actual presence of God working through our efforts.  We see the Invisible Hands strengthen our feeble ones.  We encounter God!  

And therein lies some of the reason for our celebration, our worship, our joy!  We rejoice to see the outcomes.  But, even greater, we rejoice to see God!  Missions produces worship in us as well.

Living A Life After God's Own Heart

One of the things I think we can take away from the story of David is his willingness to live his faith and his beliefs right there on the line!  Sometimes, his passion got the better of him.  Sometimes, like in the story of Nabal and Abigail, it almost got the best of him.  But, you cannot help but appreciate his courage and his willingness to take risks to see good ends come about.  G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “A man who thinks much about success must be the drowsiest sentimentalist; for he must be always looking back.”  

David was a man of action!  What a wonderful example as we think about our day-to-day lives that could use an infusion of some of that forward movement.  Maybe it is a friend you feel you should be sharing the gospel with.  Perhaps it is a note or a card you need to send.  It could be a relationship that you need to take a step forward to repair, or a ministry you have been dreaming of being involved in.  

David’s story is given to point us to Jesus and also to give us some great examples of living a life after God’s own heart.