Soooo sorry it took so long for this weeks post. I struggled to log in. Hope you enjoy.
Just a little story before I start.
The other day, someone asked a pastor how long his church service lasts. "About an hour," he said.
"Wow," said his questioner. "Ours is at least three hours!"
"I ain't givin' God no overtime," said the pastor brusquely.
Then another voice chipped in: "But God takes care of you 24 hours a day. Should you not do the same?"
This story brought a couple of Bible verses to mind: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might ... when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deut. 6:5, 7). And, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17).
I realized with a smile that responding adequately to these calls named in these verses, it would involve quite a bit of "overtime." Yet one could view this as a 24-hour commitment. God is never off duty. As the Psalms confirm, "He that keepeth thee ... shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps 121:3, 4). He is totally committed to each one of His offspring, and the more we appreciate this, the more natural it is for us to give Him more of our time. (a bit of overtime)
Life itself can be an act of worship, instead of just the hour or so that might be spent in church each week. We can worship God anywhere, anytime. You can worship with friends and family on mountaintops, in forests, besides lakes, in your living room, and on the seashore. These are among the places where, trusting in God's loving care, we can ask God to take us and make us what He wants us to be every moment of the day. Worship is the singing of your prayer. Tell God how much you love Him in a song – a song from the bottom of your heart! It’s your song. You make up the words as you go. You sing what you want, and how you want, for as long as you want! There are no rules to worshipping God! You just give it all! Put in some overtime and make it count!
Of course, there is much to be said for the discipline and order that come from attending worship services regularly. This can make it easier to silence the clutter of everyday life and truly "worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).
In or out of church, there is still nothing to stop you from truly expressing the vital, spiritual essence that is the substance of true worship. We can be in no place where God's voice is not right at hand, a voice that is un-programmed by materialism and that offers inspiration, joy, and healing.
Worshiping with your life gives a feeling of self-worth with people throughout the ages who have been committed to the same mission – taking away human thinking and revealing the light of "God with us," in all its power and authority.
This enlightened mission involves striving to express qualities such as purity, obedience, love, and unselfishness, which are all spiritual. The way to get hold of these qualities is to watch our thoughts and make prayer a natural, regular part of how we think and act. This will change your everyday life.
Simply by asking that we may love God will never make us love Him. But the longing to be better and holier, expressed in daily watchfulness and in striving to be more of the divine character, will mould us, until we awake in His likeness.
This striving includes "doing unto others as we would have them do unto us" - thinking of others as we would have them think of us, talking of others as we would have them talk of us. No unjust, uncaring thoughts will remain in us for long if we strive to see around us God's love, truth and truthfulness, goodness, refreshment and healing.
"The longing to be better and holier" is part of worship. It is a living prayer. And God's response is worth any amount of overtime. The blessings are assured.
Just a little story before I start.
The other day, someone asked a pastor how long his church service lasts. "About an hour," he said.
"Wow," said his questioner. "Ours is at least three hours!"
"I ain't givin' God no overtime," said the pastor brusquely.
Then another voice chipped in: "But God takes care of you 24 hours a day. Should you not do the same?"
This story brought a couple of Bible verses to mind: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might ... when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deut. 6:5, 7). And, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17).
I realized with a smile that responding adequately to these calls named in these verses, it would involve quite a bit of "overtime." Yet one could view this as a 24-hour commitment. God is never off duty. As the Psalms confirm, "He that keepeth thee ... shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps 121:3, 4). He is totally committed to each one of His offspring, and the more we appreciate this, the more natural it is for us to give Him more of our time. (a bit of overtime)
Life itself can be an act of worship, instead of just the hour or so that might be spent in church each week. We can worship God anywhere, anytime. You can worship with friends and family on mountaintops, in forests, besides lakes, in your living room, and on the seashore. These are among the places where, trusting in God's loving care, we can ask God to take us and make us what He wants us to be every moment of the day. Worship is the singing of your prayer. Tell God how much you love Him in a song – a song from the bottom of your heart! It’s your song. You make up the words as you go. You sing what you want, and how you want, for as long as you want! There are no rules to worshipping God! You just give it all! Put in some overtime and make it count!
Of course, there is much to be said for the discipline and order that come from attending worship services regularly. This can make it easier to silence the clutter of everyday life and truly "worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).
In or out of church, there is still nothing to stop you from truly expressing the vital, spiritual essence that is the substance of true worship. We can be in no place where God's voice is not right at hand, a voice that is un-programmed by materialism and that offers inspiration, joy, and healing.
Worshiping with your life gives a feeling of self-worth with people throughout the ages who have been committed to the same mission – taking away human thinking and revealing the light of "God with us," in all its power and authority.
This enlightened mission involves striving to express qualities such as purity, obedience, love, and unselfishness, which are all spiritual. The way to get hold of these qualities is to watch our thoughts and make prayer a natural, regular part of how we think and act. This will change your everyday life.
Simply by asking that we may love God will never make us love Him. But the longing to be better and holier, expressed in daily watchfulness and in striving to be more of the divine character, will mould us, until we awake in His likeness.
This striving includes "doing unto others as we would have them do unto us" - thinking of others as we would have them think of us, talking of others as we would have them talk of us. No unjust, uncaring thoughts will remain in us for long if we strive to see around us God's love, truth and truthfulness, goodness, refreshment and healing.
"The longing to be better and holier" is part of worship. It is a living prayer. And God's response is worth any amount of overtime. The blessings are assured.