Worship Unrestricted

Lately I've been considering the subject of worship a little more than normal; go figure right. What I've come to realize is that we often restrict our worship to music or even to just music on Sunday mornings/church gatherings. The reality is that Jesus called us to much more when he said that the true worshippers would worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). Truth encompasses all of who God is and who he's called us to be and the work of the Holy Spirit reaches every area of our lives as we submit to Him. This means that everything we do must be worship. Our very being cries out to worship in all that we do. That's why so many people pursue money, fame, sports, entertainment, relationships, etc. with such passion in an effort to fill the void of worshipping our Heavenly Father.

My encouragement to you today is to not let anything restrict the way that you honor the Lord, but to do whatever you do as unto Him (Colossians 3:23). So whether it's business, family, entertainment, exercise, teaching or music, let's offer everything we do and everything we are as a sacrifice of praise to our God as we make our worship unrestricted.

Do Your Part

'But God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.' (1 Cor.12:18) This scripture can sometimes be one that 'preaches easier than it lives' if you know what I mean. As people we have a tendency sometimes to desire what someone else has, even in a good way. We often look at someone else's gifts and desire that those were ours. Why can't I prophesy like him? Why can't I sing like that? I would love to dance like her. How come I don't have a healing ministry? Why can't I teach like that? The reality is that God through His great wisdom placed each of us right where we need to be in the body of Christ. Although some gifts are desireable to all of us, it's not promised that all of us would operate in them. Verses 27-31 of 1 Corinthians 12 explain this beautifully:

1Cr 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
1Cr 12:28
And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers,

after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
1Cr 12:29
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
1Cr 12:30
Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
1Cr 12:31
But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Immediately after this, Paul goes into the famous 'love chapter' of the Bible (1 Cor. 13) where we are encouraged that above all things we should walk in love. This shows so clearly that Father God is concerned with us loving Him and loving others and that He would be the one to distribute gifts as He sees fit. Jesus even said that the two great commandments were loving God and loving your neighbor (Matt. 22:35-40). Consider this and never let yourself feel like you are less than someone else who seems more gifted; you are loved and complete in Christ (Col. 2:9-10). He has called you, He has established you, and He has placed you right where He wants you so long as you obey His word. Trust in Him to fulfill your purpose and release every gift and talent that He has ordained for you to walk in.

So the next time you're tempted to desire to be who someone else is, remember, He's simply called you to do your part.

Let the Word Dwell in You

In Colossians Chapter 3:16-17 we receive a great challenge from the Apostle Paul. As he gives some of the framework for how we should live as believers he inserts the 'meat and potatoes', so to speak, of how we live victoriously and advance God's Kingdom: 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom ...' Simply stated yet profound in it's significance. We are called as believers not to simply know some of God's word here and there. Not to just know our favorite verse or 'bless me' scripture. Not to look to the word of God only when it's convenient. We are called to be so intimately tied to it that it dwells in us richly. One of the dictionary definitions of richly is 'in full measure.' What a beautiful way to describe our call to the word of God. It must be in us in full measure. Not in part, but in it's totality. Christ doesn't just come into our lives to hang out a little, but to abide in us always as we abide in Him. He doesn't come in part, He brings all of who He is and if we are to receive all of who He is, we must receive His word. When this happens there will be great wisdom, knowledge, understanding and whatever pertains to life and godliness flowing in and through us (2 Pet. 1:3). We will teach one another, encourage one another, worship the Father in unity and do all that we do in the name of Jesus so that God would be glorified (Col. 3:16-17).

So as time passes and distractions come. As you have good days and bad. As you press forward in what God has called you to do and to be, remember that we must allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly.

Stir it Up

I wanted to take a little time to share a recap of what we talked about on Tuesday night's devotion regarding stirring up love and good works toward one another. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us as members of God's family that we ought to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works and not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. In a day when so many people take their friends and family for granted, we as God's ambassadors should be doing the opposite. When the world often looks to relationships for what they can get, we should look for what we can give. When the world loves if it's convenient, we should love unconditionally. When the world says, "someone should serve me", we should say, "who can I serve." These are just a few examples of the way in which we as children of God, saved by grace, redeemed unto greatness and called according to His purpose should conduct ourselves. Not as the world, but as Christ. Let's look at our times together as times of serving and loving one another and not as another thing to check off of the busy list. Let's realize that God has set us in family and appreciate and cherish it.

So I encourage you today to stir up the gifts of love and service one to another and never take for granted when we come together. It is truly a great time where God orders His blessing (Psalm 133) as we walk in the unity of the faith.

Faith and Patience

This is a short message of encouragement to all of you in your walk with God to never lose heart and trust Him with every area of life. As we've just completed another powerful season of seed sowing in our house, I believe it's an appropriate time to encourage one another in the areas of faith and patience. Sometimes we can be so overwhelmed by the curve balls that life continually hurls at us and the unexpected turns that await us on our journey, but rest assured that no curve ball or turn ever catches God off guard. He is faithful and just to fulfill every promise in His timing. Our responsibility in every situation is to 'respond well' (to quote Pastor Francis Anfuso). As we await the fulfillment of every promise of our infallible, ever-faithful Father in Heaven, we must catch the revelation of walking in faith and patience. Faith because we believe that He who promised is faithful, and patience because the promise often takes longer than we would like for it to be manifested (Hebrews 6:11-15). What we need to realize is that God is not bound by our circumstances or our perceived limitations, He is well-able to do what He said He would. We simply need to walk in patience as we put our faith in Him, knowing that His word does not return void, but it will accomplish what He sent it to do (Isaiah 55:10-11).

As you look for harvest on your seed, trust God for the salvation of a lost loved one, believe for provision, stand for healing, or whatever it is, always know that He does not waver concerning His promises, and will always come through; He is trustworthy. With that settled in our minds, we can stand firm on His word as we continually walk in faith and patience.

Free to Worship

As we complete the week following Easter, it's always an interesting time. Most churches across the nation have experienced one of the most well-attended services of the year, arts ministries are taking a little break from putting on some of their most extensive performances of the year and people who wouldn't otherwise attend a church service are now wondering, 'Should I go back this week?' With all of these things to consider, I would like to propose to us that we don't get caught in the event mentality that so many others do. We have been set free by the Truth (John 8:31-32) and are not bound to seek Him at only a certain date and time, but as Hebrews 10 says, '... having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith...' (v.19 & 22 - read the whole chapter if you get a chance).

So in keeping with this, let's draw near everyday, every moment, at every gathering, at every opportunity with the full assurance that by the blood of the covenant, we are welcomed in as we submit ourselves to Him. He is worthy of everything we have, all praise and all honor. Never forget how great He is and how privileged we are to worship Him at all times and not just on a particular day of the year. We most certainly are, free to worship.

Groundskeeping

Everyone generally knows about the Parable of the Sower that Jesus told in Matthew 13 and Luke 8. In this story, Jesus tells us of someone sowing seed and this seed falling on four types of ground: ground that didn't receive seed at all, stony/hard ground, ground overgrown with weeds and thorns, and lastly, good ground. Each of these is representative of the ways in which people receive the "seed" of God's word, but there is a key element to this entire progression that needs to be considered: each type of ground is in the condition it is in due to the preparation, or a lack thereof. This leads us to take a deeper look at our duty in this process.

As we ponder this topic, it's quite easy to look at this parable from the perspective that says that the ground is just the way it is by default. This viewpoint springs up so naturally given the absence of personal responsibility which has become so characteristic of our society. The reality though is that the ground gets into the condition it is in due to a host of factors: attention, care, neglect, the elements, etc. What we must realize is that these factors translate into human terms as well because the ground which Jesus was really concerned with was that of the hearts of mankind. We too can become ground upon which seed will only fall by the wayside if we don't have a heart to receive it. If we have a heart which is hardened, rigid and stuck in our way of doing things or we simply choose not receive all of what God's word has to say, we will be just like the stony ground upon which seed springs up quickly, but abruptly dies out due to a lack of depth. When we allow the cares of life to come in, whether they seem good or bad to us, they will choke out the growth of God's "good seed" in our hearts. Finally though, the desire of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for us is that we are good ground which has been prepared to receive, so that when the seed is planted it bears a good harvest which remains.

The question today is, are you keeping the ground of your heart or are you allowing it to fall into disrepair? The parable of the sower undoubtedly gives us an illustration that shows the significance of the posture of our hearts as we receive the word of God. His word is always good seed, therefore the burden lies upon the one who is charged with keeping the ground to have it prepared and ready to receive the seed. With this in mind, make the choice to position yourself and deal with the issues of life in such a way that your heart is always ready to take in the good seed of God's word with a "noble and good heart" (Luke 8:15) and in turn bear fruit that remains. Keep the ground well so that the good fruit you bear will be evident and those around you will be pointed to Father God, the ultimate seed sower.