Author: Craig

Our Worship, The Google Curse & My Wandering Soul

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Our brains are changing.  I don’t memorize phone numbers and a slew of facts anymore.  They are stored on my phone or I can search for them easily.

And my guess is, you are not memorizing Scripture either.

The Google curse.

We don’t have to memorize so we don’t.  Just google it!

I’m not sure we want to merrily accept this pattern of life.

I remember Ms. Lily White standing up in our Sunday worship gathering for several years to share the Scripture with us.  With a voice astonishingly clear for her 80 plus years, she would reach into the depths of her mind and quote Scripture; her favorite was Psalm 1.  Even when her mind lost track of other details, the Scripture remained.  Those were high and holy moments.  Our worship of God was enriched.

In conversation she attributed her long life and her joy in it to God’s grace.  And she always extolled the virtue of memorizing Scripture.

Readers, did you memorize last week’s verses?

1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2

My soul is prone to wander.   I know I need the signs that point me back to God’s grace.  David the Psalmist said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Did you see that?  Thy and Thee?  Its because I memorized Psalm 119:11 in the King James Version over thirty years ago!

If our daily life is the major fabric of our worship of God, then we need a lot of signs.

Memorizing Scripture is like loading the hard-drive of your mind.  When you need it, the Holy Spirit can remind you of it and redirect your soul into His grace, wisdom, and love.

PS:  Here’s link to an article to that will help you get started.

Non-Conformist

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Industry standards require conformity.

I learned this morning that Robert Zildjian the founder of Sabian Cymbals died this week.  He was 89 years old.  Zildjian and Sabian cymbals have been used by bands and orchestras for years.  The process used by the family business was a closely guarded secret discovered by Avedis, an Armenian alchemist of the 17th century.  Seeking to turn bronze into gold, Avedis found a way to combine copper, silver and tin into ingots that could be beaten into a thin disc of metal.  We’ve been enjoying their cymbals ever since!  Last year over 900,000 Sabian Cymbals were shipped around the world.

You can be sure each cymbal conformed to a standard!  And that’s a good thing.

Conform.

In God’s view of us He sees that we are under pressure to conform to the world.  And that is not a good thing.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  Romans 12:2

Conformed.  Pushed into the world’s pattern, mold, shape.  This is especially problematic when held up to the pattern of Jesus Christ.  We are to conform to Jesus.

By God’s grace, culture and societal standards can benefit us with much that is good and leans toward the values of the Kingdom of God.  However, culture and society do not completely embody God’s vision for us in relationship to Him, each other, ourselves, and the stuff of earth.  When we are animated by the Gospel we will discover that the Word of God creates resistance in us toward the shaping pressure of the world.  Then we become

non-conformists.

 

Body Faith

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Its tempting to carve up our lives into little compartments

such that we separate what we do with our bodies

from our faith.  God wants us to see the connection:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, 

to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—

this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1

In response to the Gospel of Jesus offer your body to God.

Offer your body as a living sacrifice.

Obvious:

Your body is the only vehicle you have for serving Him.

Yet we too often disconnect what we are doing in our body from our faith.

Two implications:

  1. Sin enslaves the body to act according to desires that are contrary to the way of God; but the Gospel frees us to progressively choose and act in keeping with the royal law of love.  Jesus has made us and is making us holy and pleasing to God.
  2. Worship is not confined to a specific hour or place; worship is what we do when we are continually offering what we are doing to God — at work, in relationships, at home.

For a good start of the day develop a spiritual exercise out of Romans 12:1:

Reflect on the extraordinary love of God shown us in the cross of Jesus.

Then in view of God’s mercy offer each part of your body to God:  My head — its yours; may my thoughts honour you.  My eyes — they are yours, may I see the world as you see.  My ears — they are yours, may I have your grace to listen to people and hear what you are doing in their lives.  My mouth…  My hands…”

Avoid the God App

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It’s tempting to treat God like an app.

Just download God and go to the app when you need Him.

One app among many.  Problems?  Just ask God what to do so you can be blessed.

The Gospel is different.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, 

to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—

this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1

When we treat God like an app we move directly to morality and abandon grace.

“What does God want me to do?”

Do “x” so God will give you “y.”

Avoid the God App, it will corrupt genuine Gospel faith.

The Gospel gives us a relationship, not an app of convenience.

“…in view of God’s mercy…”

Connecting faith to real life starts with a view of the cross.

Jesus took our place that we might enjoy His place with the Father.

Sin would take its toll from us — killing us slowly with guilt, shame, and fear.

But mercifully He took our guilt that we might have a share in His innocence,

our shame that we might have a share in His honour,

our fear that we might have a share in His peace.

Now through Jesus we are connected to One from whom and through whom

and for whom all things are!  (Romans 11:36)

What an awesome God we have!

The inconvenient but joyful way to live as one loved by Jesus is

is to make His mercy our starting place.

Passion Week ~ Good Friday ~ barabbas

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Reflections on Matthew 27:15-23

Barabbas, what’s in a name?  Son of God.

He got freedom.

Jesus got a cross.

A deal struck in a courtyard.

But this moment had been set ages before

in the court of heaven.

“What shall we do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

“Let him be crucified!”

In that moment the crowd did not see

the true Son of God suffering in love.

Suffering to set the children of God free.

(Josh Garrells singing “Good Friday.”)