A Heart Ready for Worship

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O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

When I remember You  on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63.1-8 NASB)

God’s Constant Compassion

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One day a young man was walking along an isolated road when he heard something like a crying sound. He couldn’t tell for sure what the sound was but it seemed to be coming from underneath a bridge. As he approached the bridge, the sound got louder and  then he saw a pathetic sight. There, lying in the muddy river bed, was a puppy about two months old. It had a gash on its head and was covered with mud. Its fronts legs were swollen where they had been tightly bound with cords.

The young man was immediately moved with compassion and wanted to help the dog, but as he approached, the crying stopped and the dog snarled his lip and started to growl. But the young man did not give up. He sat down and started gently talking to the dog. It took a long time but eventually the dog stopped growling and the man was able to inch forward and eventually touch the dog and begin unwrapping the tightly bound cord. The young man carried the dog home, cared for its wounds, gave it food and water and a warm bed. Even with all this, the dog continued to snarl and growl every time the young man approached. But the young man did not give up.

Weeks went by and the man continued caring for the puppy. Then one day, as the young man approached, the dog wagged its tail. Consistent love and kindness had won and a lifelong friendship of loyalty and trust began.

Romans 2.4 asks the questions, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” God has been reaching out to you for your entire life. He desperately wants to set you free from the prison of sin, heal all your wounds, bring you into His family, and provide for your every need; however, your rejection of Him is just like the snarling dog. God is faithful and will continue to offer you an eternal relationship, but you must accept His call.

Will you continue to reject and despise His offering of grace, or will you confess and repent of your sinfulness, place your faith in Jesus’ finished work, and then become a child of God?

Source: Stories For The Heart, Multnomah, Alice Gray, 108.

Is the Savior Calling?

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I can still remember struggling for several months with the inner turmoil that God was calling me to something more. I was actively serving in the church, visiting those who were looking for a church, and sharing the good news of Jesus with others as I went about my day. Yet I still had this feeling of discontent. I remember saying, “There has to be more to Christianity than this. I just feel like I am missing something.”

Eventually I sat down with my pastor and shared with him what I was feeling. He gave me the opportunity to teach at our church’s Wednesday night Bible study. Preaching that one simple study changed my life. Within the next five years I went from being a manager of a shoe store, to a missionary in Brazil, to a student at a Bible college, a youth minister, and then senior pastor of a church.

Being able to slowly work through the holy discontent of being called to more in my Christian walk is a comfort and memory I will cherish for the rest of my days. I never thought I would be able to pastor a church or write sermons that would help others grow in their spiritual journey into Christ-likeness. In truth, I was right! It has been over twenty-two years since I stood in the pulpit to preach for the first time, and were it not for Christ equipping me to carry out all that He called me to do I would never have been able to accomplish anything for His kingdom. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15.5).

What is Jesus calling you toward today? Is it to be more disciplined in your daily walk? Does He want you to be a more vocal witness? Is He opening doors for you to be a leader to others in your local church? Is He calling you to spend some time on a mission trip? Or, is He calling you to Christian ministry? If you are experiencing a holy discontent with your current Christian walk or calling take time to visit with your pastor. Share with him about your feelings. You never know where one conversation will lead you. The conversation I had led me to writing this blog post twenty-two years later!

Thank you Jesus!

What Is Our Goal on Sunday Mornings?

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Graceway MediaI came across this article over the weekend and wanted to share it.

“What should be the goal of our preaching and singing together on Sunday mornings?

Should preachers try to have the clearest, most engaging, entertaining
message they can? Should the worship team seek to have the coolest arrangement,
the most passionate singing, the most exciting sound?

These things are not necessarily bad in themselves, but they are not the
goal of our Sunday mornings. Jonathan Leeman shares this great illustration in
his book Reverberation:

A group of American Christians in the nineteenth century planned to visit London for a week. Their friends, excited for the opportunity, encouraged them to go hear
two of London’s famous preachers and bring back a report. On Sunday morning
after their arrival, the Americans attended Joseph Parker’s church. They
discovered that his reputation for eloquent oratory was well deserved. One
exclaimed after the service, “I do declare, it must be said, for there is no
doubt, that Joseph Parker is the greatest preacher that ever there was!”

The group wanted to return in the evening to hear Parker again, but they remembered that their friends would ask them about another preacher named Charles Spurgeon. So on Sunday evening they attended the Metropolitan Tabernacle, where Spurgeon was preaching. The group was not prepared for what they heard, and as they departed, one of them again spoke up, “I do declare, it must be said, for there is no doubt, that Jesus Christ is the greatest Savior that ever there was!”

Here is the goal of our preaching and singing together on Sunday mornings:
That we proclaim Jesus Christ, our glorious Savior and all he has done for us,
and urge everyone to respond to him appropriately.

When people leave our churches tomorrow, may they not say, “What moving
worship, what a great worship band, what an incredible preacher, or what a cool
building” but may they say, “What an incredible Savior.”

(Written by Mark Altrogge)

How different would the world view the church if the only purpose for church every Sunday was to simply lift up and glorify the name of Jesus?