It was C.S. Lewis who once said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” Remember, if I'm crucified, I'm brand new and what I desire the most changes. The French monk Bernard of Clairvaux once said, “It is no great thing to be humble when you are brought low; but to be humble when you are praised is a great and rare attainment.”
To be completely honest it felt like a gernade had blown up in my face. Here I am writing a book about sacrifice, humility and service while I'm being greedy over something as trivial as pecans. This is part of human nature isn't it? You see we’re willing to sacrifice for what we want in this life, but only a few dare to sacrifice for their faith. We don't want to be crucified. We need to make war with this world and our flesh and not fall in love with it; listen to the words of Paul (Galatians 6:8-9). Author John MacArthur once wrote, “[Selfless love] serves for the sake of the one being served, and serves in the way it likes being served—whether it ever receives such service or not.” How are you doing with “love?”
Oswald Chambers once noted, “Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a spiritual thing for yourself; it has to be given back to Him that He may make it a blessing to others.” Solomon warned us don't waste your life chasing worldly things (Proverbs 23:3-5).
Normally this time a year is filled with resolutions to lose weight, save money, pursue our DREAMS, fall in love or perhaps even to get back active in the church; we are willing to sacrifice if it's something that will make us happy, now. Won't we? Listen to what the apostle Paul had to say about things to the church at Philippi (Philippians 3:7, 8); or how about the famous children's story of three little boys in the face of fear (Daniel 3:16-18)? Their faith let them burn for God. Napoleon Bonaparte once stated, “Great men are meteors designed to burn so that the earth may be lighted.”
In a recent message James Merritt explained, “Courage is not the absence of fear, courage is faith in the face of fear.” Look at the prophet Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3:2-18). His entire world was turned upside down as he saw his enemies approach, yet he still trusted God. Merritt continued, “If your NUMBER 1 goal in life is to be rich, healthy or prosperous, that's what you worship.” I wonder if God isn't thinking, “How can you let these petty gods STEAL MY SHOW?” We haven't learned much since THE GARDEN, have we? We've perverted everything, especially sex. We worship worldly things and we call it being “blessed”, when Jesus set as FREE FROM IT ALL. We BOAST and brag about our selfish and sinful desires, as if these things can truly COMFORT ME for the rest of my eternal life, that’s God’s job.
From time to time I run into old friends from the church I met my mentor at over a decade ago, especially now that everyone's on Facebook; there comes two inevitable questions that make me shudder with shame, “Are you still modeling” and “Do you still bike?” After more than a decade that is how they remember me? I'm embarrassed, I want to be known for whom I follow and whom I love. Presbyterian clergyman Stephen Charnock notes, “We may be truly said to worship God, though we lack perfection; but we cannot be said to worship Him if we lack sincerity.”
Francis Chan explains in his book Crazy Love, “Let's face it. We’re willing to make changes in our lives only if we think it affects our salvation. This is why I have so many people ask me questions like, “Can I divorce my wife and still go to heaven? Do I have to be baptized to be saved? Am I a Christian even though I'm having sex with my girlfriend? If I commit suicide, can I still go to heaven? If I'm ashamed to talk about Christ, is He really going to deny knowing me? To me these questions are tragic because they reveal much about the state of our hearts. They demonstrate that our concern is more about going to heaven than loving the King. Jesus said," If you love me, you will obey what I command (John 14:15). And our question quickly becomes even more unthinkable: Can I go to heaven without truly and faithfully loving Jesus? I don't see anywhere in Scripture how the answer to that question could be yes”
The truth is we just want to have our cake and eat it too, don't we? We don't really want to live a life of faith, we want to live a life of luxury; we want to be in control and have all the answers, to be happy no matter what. Writer J. Martin Kohe said it best, “The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose.” Sadly there are Christians who choose to worship the prince of the air and this world (Satan) instead of the KING OF MY HEART, Jesus. In the Army( Ho) every soldier knows to FOLLOW YOUR LEADER , unfortunately Christian soldiers haven't learned the seriousness of this and have been FALLIN’ DOWN for decades, we’ve bought the lie of the world that you should FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS. When we’re supposed to be different, set apart and crucified (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Keller points out in A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, “David wrote ‘He (God) leadest me beside the still waters (Psalm 23:2). Before thinking about the water resources themselves, we do well to understand the role of water in the animal body and why it is so essential for its well-being the body of an animal such as a sheep is composed of about 70% water on average… it’s what determines the vitality, strength and vigor of the sheep and is essential to its health and general well-being..when sheep are thirsty they become restless and set out in search of water to satisfy the thirst. If not led to the good water supplies of clean, pure water, they will often end up drinking from the polluted potholes where they pick up such internal parasites as nematodes.. and in precisely the same manner Christ, our good shepherd, made it clear that thirsty souls of men and women can only be fully satisfied when their capacity and thirst for spiritual life is fully quenched by drawing on Himself.”
Remember the story of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at a well (John 4:3-42)? She had a FIRE IN HER BONES only Jesus could quench. Keller continues, “But the irony of life, and tragic truth for most Christians, is that this is not so. It is often the case that they try, instead, to satisfy their thirst by pursuing almost every other sort of substitute. For their mind’s intellect they will pursue knowledge, science, academic careers, vociferous reading or off-beat companions. But somehow they are always left painting and dissatisfied... of course there's always a percentage of perverse people who refuse to allow God to lead them. They insist on running their own lives and following the dictates of their own wills… they remind me very much of a bunch of sheep I watched one day which were being lead down to a magnificent mountain stream. The snow-fed waters were flowing pure and clear, crystal clean between lovely
banks of trees. But on the way several stubborn ewes and their lambs stopped, instead, to drink from small, dirty muddy pools beside the trail. The water was filthy and polluted…Still the stubborn sheep were quite sure it was the best drink obtainable.” Someone once said, “Little men with little minds and little imaginations go through life in little ruts, smugly resisting all the changes which would jar their little world.”
Being in control is not faith, it's being our own god...it’s fake. Brady Boyd explains in his book Sons and Daughters, “REPENTANCE, I am learning, is admitting I make a lousy God. Worshiping myself always leads to messes, and I am never at peace in a mess.” Keller notes, “In spite of having such a master and owner, the fact remains that some Christians are still not content with His control. They are somehow dissatisfied, always feeling that somehow the grass beyond the fence must be a little greener. These are carnal Christians-- one might almost call them ‘fence crawlers’ or ‘half-Christians‘ who want the best of both worlds.” You can always tell who these Christians are, they’re the first to quote Scripture to justify their worldly lifestyle and they tend to hang around in packs like the Pharisees.. or wolves. They are caught up in some type of POWER TRIP just like the Pharisees.
They remind me of seasonal residents in the North, as long as the weather is nice and sunny these residents will live there; but as soon as it gets cold and snows, they head south to FLORIDA (pansies). This is how a lot of Christians treat God; as long as He is blessing them and things are going well, they'll follow and obey Him. But NOT FOR LONG when the going gets tough, they're out altogether. Remember Peter? Sounds like a lot of marriages these days doesn’t it? If you don’t like the way things are going at home, you can always move on to greener pastures, right? But what about that grace that Jesus showed Peter? Why don't spouses show that to their “loved“ ones? Isn't that what we’re called to do is Christians? To forgive others “As God has forgiven us?” Abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher once noted, “I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love.”
Keller notes, “The psalmist declared, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!’ The sheep with such a shepherd knows of a surety that his is a privileged position. No matter what comes, at least and always he can be perfectly sure that goodness and mercy will be in the picture… The only possible motivation was His own love, His care and concern for me as one of His sheep…. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.’ There is a positive, practical aspect in which my life in turn should be one whereby goodness and mercy follow my footsteps for the well-being of others. Just as God's goodness and mercy flow to me all the days of my life, so goodness and mercy should follow me, should be left behind me, as a legacy to others, wherever I may go.” Poet Sir Alfred Tennyson wrote, “The good men do lives after them.” Don’t forget the words of Jesus Himself (Matthew 7:12).
I don't believe Keller is talking about warm fuzzy Christian cliché sayings like “Have a blessed day” or “You’re blessed and highly favored”. Remember faith is action. As God sacrificed His Son for us our natural response should be to sacrifice for others. This is what the apostle Paul tells us is biblical, spiritual worship (Romans 12:1-3) and this is how Paul tells us husbands should love their wives (Ephesians 5:25-30).
Barnes notes on the Bible explains, “A sacrifice is an offering made to God as an atonement for sin; or any offering made to Him and His service as an expression of thanksgiving or homage. It implies that he who offers it presents it entirely, releases all claim or right to it, and leaves it to be disposed of for the honor of God. In the case of an animal, it was slain, and the blood offered; in the case of any other offering, as the first-fruits, etc., it was set apart to the service of God; and he who offered it released all claim on it, and submitted it to God, to be disposed of at His will. This is the offering which the apostle entreats the Romans to make: to devote themselves to God, as if they had no longer any claim on themselves; to be disposed of by Him; to suffer and bear all that He might appoint; and to promote His honor in any way which He might command.” Sacrifice is the mark of a true disciple of Jesus.
Jesus’ death satisfied the sin offering, our response is an expression of thanks. The apostle Paul simply states that we must give thanks to God for His sacrifice no matter how things are in our lives ( 1 Thessalonians 5:18) just like those three little Hebrew boys (Daniel 6:10). Chuck Swindell defines joy as “Living above the circumstances. “That means we can't base our happiness on how things are going, but on God's constant goodness-- even when things are hard. The Bible is clear that it's the hard times and JOYFUL SUFFERINGS that help us to become more like Christ ( Acts 5:40, 41, Romans 5:3-5, Revelation 2:2, 3). Merritt continued, “If you get where you can worship God even when He isn’t blessing you, then He will lift you up (Habakkuk 3: 18).”
Webster's defines worship as, “Reverence offered a divine being or SUPERNATURAL power; an act of expressing such reverence.” Worship is something we do only for our God. It's so much more than words, it's more than a feeling and it's even a more than a song.
Which brings me to something else that I'm ashamed of; anyone who knows me knows that I suffered a BUSTED HEART last year over a young woman I love. You also know that it was almost the DEATH OF ME which is why I’m glad to see the new year and its new possibilities. All I can do now is to continue to pray for her family, her and her marriage then LET IT GO for good and move on.
Which further illustrates my stubbornness, It's no secret that a BROWN-EYED GIRL can still leave me awe-struck; you see I'd forgotten the last lesson my father taught me before he died, never put a woman before God. I can still remember walking into the I.C.U and seeing my father on his knees beside my mother's hospital bed almost 10 years ago, his words still haunt me to this day. “I love your mother with all my heart and soul. I'd give anything to swap places with her, to hold her one last time.” He got his wish a year later when he died three months after his own cancer diagnosis. I'm sure some of you ladies think it's great that my father loved my mother so much.
But let me make this clear, the greatest thing any man can do for woman is to love God with all his heart and soul (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37, 1 John 4: 21), then God will take care of everything else. So you see not only will we live for what we worship, we will also die for what we worship as well. Besides, how often do we say, “I LOVE YOU TO DEATH? Perhaps some reading this will die tonight for their spouse and I'm not talking just to the men, marriage is 100%/100% relationship you both have to give everything, this is one way we honor God with our lives, following His example and living crucified in our relationships. That is what this remixed and reposted blog will be about, biblical worship.
WORSHIP?
My goodness, this one is going to read like a confessional. I'm using the men's devotion that I gave last Tuesday morning as a foundation for his blog. For the past month or so, I have been having a hard time focusing on God and hearing His voice. Even when I go for a bike ride which is my favorite place to be with God and to be by myself (see my blog "My favorite place to Worship".) We serve an AWESOME GOD and from cover to cover the Bible tells us to WORSHIP Him. The Apostle Paul tells to make it an all-day every day CELEBRATION. Not just when we feel like it, but more importantly when we don't feel like it. When it is hard to smile, WE MUST PRAISE Him, not just dial 911. In The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren says that what makes Christian music, Christian music is the words. So it doesn't matter if your taste is rock; country, hip-hop, dance or even one of my secret favorites, acapella. As long as it brings glory to God, it is Christian music. Remember my earlier blog, ubu? This blog will concentrate more on bringing you back to THE HEART OF WORSHIP, ONE MORE TIME. Music is mentioned in the Bible over eight hundred times and Hell about forty or fifty times. So, do you see how important it is that we worship God through song?
Paul and Silas even sang hymns while LOCKED IN A CAGE while imprisoned in Rome. Stephen said, "I SAW HEAVEN" while he was being stoned. After Job lost everything, he would not curse God, he prayed MY REDEEMER LIVES, COME RESCUE ME. A few weeks ago, I heard a message by a Jentzen Franklin about how after David defeated Goliath, Saul offered his oldest daughter to David to be his bride, but she rejected him because he worshiped God. David's reaction wasn't bitterness, but worship, he said IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL. Not even the rejection from a woman could take David's Joy as he danced before the Lord and he said I WILL PRAISE HIM, STILL. Now this is my confession, I haven't felt like worshiping God, not at church, concerts or outside, because I have let someone take my breath and my PEACE. In one of my earliest blogs, I mentioned the last lesson my father taught me before he died was never put anyone, especially a woman, before God. I thought I had learned this, apparently I was wrong. I want to MAKE MY LIFE A PRAYER to God FOR THE GLORY OF YOUR NAME, regardless of how my life is going. This is the last lesson Jesus taught us before he went to the cross. John tells us that Jesus prayed, "I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do."
In his book Sex God, Rob Bell points out that John says a time is coming when true worshipers will worship the Father in the spirit, because they are more concerned with things of the spirit and not consumed with the cares of the flesh. John goes on to say that the Father is seeking such worshipers. It is MY PRAYER that I will get outside for a bike ride where I COULD SING OF YOUR LOVE FOREVER. There is something about being outside with ALL THE CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING that calms me, it is indescribible. Maybe it is remembering what Jesus said about the birds of the air or a BUTTERFLY as I go down to the RIVER of HEALING WATERS that COVER ME. It doesn't matter IF I STAND on THE VERGE OF A MIRACLE, THROW YOUR HANDS UP or WHEN I FALL FACEDOWN ON MY KNEES by the RIVERSIDE. SOFTLY AND TENDERLY I hear Him WHISPER MY NAME; because He is THE GOD OF WONDERS and HE REIGNS.
PRAISE?
This leads me to another ah-ha moment God has given me. The psalmist declared that all creation praises God (Psalms 19:1, 68:26, 103:22, 145:10). David spent most of his early life out in the fields watching out for his flocks; obviously his intimate and daily encounter with nature inspired and reflected his relationship with God. I can relate to David, those of you who know me know outside is where I thrive and am closest to God. You have to be blind not to see God's creation PRAISE ‘EM, which is ironic since I’m legally blind. I can remember looking out at the fields of poppies in Italy when I was a child and marveling at God’s artistry; even as I bike or hike through the woods now, the crackling trees and leaves seem to praise God.
I'm swept away by the Symphony of nature in the early morning as the birds sing and I hear the thud of pecans falling to the ground or woodpeckers leaving their marks on trees. Three years ago I was able to stand on top of Pikes Peak in Colorado at the very spot that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write America the Beautiful and there was no doubt in my mind that all creation praises God. Even the winds seemed to whisper God's blessing as I stood there in His presence . Pastor and author A.W. Tozer noted, “You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him.” I guess I sometimes worship the creation more than the Creator.. even if I'm content being in His presence.
I had the opportunity to spend this past Christmas with my mentor and his family and I wanted nothing more than to simply be with him. I didn't want anything from him for Christmas other than to be able to see him, sure we had a few talks about what God was doing in my life and the things He was teaching me. Sure I got to play with his grandson and his dog, Chloe. But these were just the icing on the cake. All I wanted to do was be with the man who's been like a father to me for almost 10 years. Of course, I did get to take three Wal-Mart bags of pecans to him. That's all that really mattered to me, being with the closest thing I have to a father now. You see that's how I want to worship my heavenly father for THE REST OF MY LIFE and He’s only one who desires it.
But to God's greatest creation mankind, His MASTERPIECE, He gave the unique ability to worship Him. Remember we're made for the glory of His name. As I watched the news coverage of the shootings in Connecticut last month, I noticed people singing and attempting to praise God THROUGH THE RAIN... through the pain, with OPEN ARMS. Even birds can be heard singing in the rain. So ironic isn't it, they don’t want to worship or follow Him, but they want to sing His praises of hope, the CHRIST OF HOPE. I guess they want to have their cake and eat it too. Perhaps they don't realize, this is a SACRED LOVE like between a husband and wife.
Then again we've forgotten to be fully, FAITHFULLY committed in marriage, haven't we? That's why I must GIVE MY ALL, by the very definition of our relationship there can't be any “balance”, James Merritt explains, “We are not righteous because of what we do, we are righteous by having the right relationship with God. Listen to how John put it in the Bible (John 3: 30-31). I could sing of your love forever and never once experience real worship. DEAR NON-BELIEVER this is a life-change, not just a four minute song or four second prayer. Besides, don't you know that God knows if you’re FAKIN’ IT?
British writer William Law once wrote, “We must devote, not only times and places to prayer, but be everywhere in the spirit of devotion; with hearts always set toward heaven, looking up to God in all our actions, and doing everything as His servants; living in the world as in a holy temple of God, and always worshiping Him, though not with our lips, yet with the thankfulness of our hearts, the holiness of our actions and the pious and charitable use of all His gifts.”
Kyle Idleman explains in Not a Fan, the main problem Jesus had with these religious leaders is they were hypocrites. I'm not guessing at that that's what He calls them. To their faces. Eight times. The word hypocrite comes from Greek ancient classical theater. Greek actors were called hypocrites. Often, a single actor would play several different characters, and for each character, the actor would use a different mask... What people see doesn't reflect who they really are. Jesus says in verse 5: ’Everything that they do is for show (Matthew 23:5)” Too often we live lives completely empty of the words we say in the songs we sing.
Herein lies the difference between praise and worship; it's easy to praise God when everything is going good in our lives, when we “feel” His presence in our lives. But what about when we're going through the difficult seasons or the quiet seasons when I need an answer to prayer about the storms of life? When I'm worried about simple things like food, shelter or my health or a broken heart; can I still praise God, after all scripture promises He will fight A MILLION ARMIES who are against me (Romans 8:31, 1 John 4: 4)? When you're worried about your next paycheck? He’s STILL WITH YOU even if you don’t feel Him.
It often annoys me when I hear Christians quote the prophet Jeremiah for “blessings” in life (Jeremiah 29:11) just like Satan, they’ve TWISTED Scripture to what they want to believe. They willingly overlook the part about it being God's plans and not theirs; further they overlook the next verse about seeking God with all of their heart, not part.
Merritt continued, “If you worship things, you can never praise God. But if you want to be in His will then you can praise Him.” Bill Purvis explains it this way, “When you go through a hard time, learn to praise God through it. The more you praise God, the closer you bring Him to you.” Remember the words of Paul earlier about sacrifice and worship? Paul states these lead to understanding God's perfect will (Romans 12:1-2), not praise or songs. If so, then cartoons could praise God also and maybe then we wouldn't have all these SCREWED UP KIDS or senseless VIOLENCE in the world. Perhaps this is why Solomon warned us (Proverbs 4:23).
Four years ago while I was visiting my father's best friend in Colorado his eight year old granddaughter tugged on my shirt and as I looked down into those big blue eyes she said, “Martin, I LOVE YOU.” It was SO PRECIOUS and in an instant my heart melted; I explained a few months ago how I’ve dreamed of having a son, but for the last four years I've often dreamed of having a DADDY’S GIRL.
Sometimes we have to let go of our sweet dreams and let God give us NEW DREAMS. Still our flesh wants what it wants and we keep chasing that, remember those STREAMS I mentioned earlier? I've said it many times before, when you surrender completely to Christ and follow… Worship Him, He will change your heart. Perhaps the church has developed a HEART PROBLEM and we need to learn how to be crucified with Christ, not just in word or theology, but in our lives; for this is the cost of following Christ (Matthew 10:38 16:24-25, Luke 14:27).
Francis Chan continues, “I do not want true believers to doubt their salvation as they read this book. In the midst of our failed attempts at loving Jesus, His grace covers us... His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). I'm not saying that when you mess up, it means you were never really a genuine Christian in the first place. If that were true, no one could follow Christ.”
We've watered down worship to NOTHING more than a song, songs and entertainment have become the Bride’s addiction. The early church understood that worship was a lifestyle change when Jesus offered, “Come follow me”; it was a call to worship Him and WALK IT LIKE I'M CHANGED, not sing a song. Worship works as a verb, not as an adjective.
I often hear Christians say that it's the “worship” music that is their motivation for coming to church, it helps prepare them to you from God. Inside my mind I'm thinking, STOP IT. It’s not because HE LIVES, nope God's not dead. Or because of God's grace and the fact He's the great I Am...He’s here with us, that doesn’t make you GET DOWN on your knees? Somehow, somewhere we're missing it, listen to what John had to say about it Israelites ( John 1:10 -14). J.I. Packer noted, “We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the psalms, and that the habit of celebrating the greatness and graciousness of God yields an endless flow of thankfulness, joy, and zeal.” True worship doesn’t make you LOSE URSELF, it helps you see God.
British clergyman Philip Henry famously said, “The best way to fight against sin is to fight it on our knees.” Brady Boyd explains, “I enjoy reading about church history, and if I were to peg the central characteristics of church gatherings in the first century, there would be nonhyped, nonfrantic, unrushed. Worship was a lifestyle, not an overly promoted activity occurring one hour, one morning a week things were simple. Prayers were meaningful. People were fully dependent on the spirit of God.”
The first disciples didn't leave a legacy of singing wonderful, emotional songs. GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN, they left everything to follow... worship Jesus and they did all of the BIBLE WORK for us to learn how to worship Jesus, which is what God told Moses and the Israelites to do in the Old Testament to teach other generations of God's faithfulness (Deuteronomy 4:9, 6:7, 11:19). It’s not radical or a CRAZY LOVE nor is it RIDICULOUS FAITH, it’s being crucified.. It’s worship. It was David's service to God that enabled him to worship God, He requires us completely. Worship and righteousness are not defined by our standards, but God's. On one occasion Jesus even asks if He will find faith like this when He returns (Luke 18:8-9). The story of the persistent widow teaches us to rely completely on God, not ourselves and not just for justice.
We have buildings full of Christians who are content WALKIN’ THAT LINE and never live completely in God’s green pastures, but it’s okay as long as they do the “Christian” things, go to church, sing a really good song or two and tithe, well maybe tithe. And they rob God of the true worship due Him (Nehemiah 13:11-12, Zechariah 5:3,Malachi 3:8). The prophet Malachi explained that God's people had turned His blessings into curses by not serving Him (Malachi 3:13-14). Remember Jesus warned us not to use a bunch of words, even when we pray because that's what the hypocrites do (Matthew 6: 5). We use words like “witnessing” to describe sharing the gospel, the term implies for others to be able to see our faith... our worship,. not words. Can you see Jesus kneeling in the garden singing to God or dying to His will? In the new year I’m LAYING DOWN MY WILL to worship God.
Brady Boyd continues, “Let my son go,’ God says to Moses, ‘So he may worship me… we hype and promote and tweet and inadvertently create pews full of consumers instead of devoted worshipers of God. I once heard it said that leaders who don't teach their congregations to worship must entertain them week in and week out.” John Piper recently tweeted, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn't. Call me crazy or just a hopeless romantic, but I'd rather someone show me that they love me, not tell me. That's why I believe, if you have to tell someone constantly that you love them, something’s wrong somewhere. Francis Chan explains, “True love requires sacrifice. And our love is shown by how we live our lives; ‘Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth (Ezekiel 33:31, 1 John 3:18).” Remember according to God to love is sacrifice (JOHN 3:16). That’s what real CHRISTIANS LOOK LIKE, not some fanatical, charismatic people singing with their hands raised to the heavens.
I'm not saying that there aren’t times that we need to sing songs, however it's not the totality of worship. Certainly praise is part of worship, but they're just empty words if we don't live to the music. Christ must be the center of it all and not just the music, but our entire lives; do you really trust Him with it? If you’ve ever seen me in a church “service,” there's word again; you know I'm good for a song or two, possibly three. Then I just want to sit down and read God's love letter to me, I need it daily. What child or woman for that matter doesn't like being told you're beautiful?
After all, one of my primary love languages is words of affirmation. Friends who are close to me know that I have dreamed for years about writing and singing a love song for that special lady I hope to marry one day. Unfortunately the musician in me died years ago and all that's left is a lyricist who is a helpless romantic. Besides, I'll be the nut-job doing the TOE TAPPY, because I'm going to DANCE LIKE DAVID before the throne. Dancing is one of the passions God has given me along with writing and yes biking, But I can only worship the lord, not sex, nothing.
Fortunately for me I KNOW some amazing Christian musicians who use their passionate gifts to glorify God. One of my Jamaican college friends is a local artist named Jubba. More recently I have been introduced to a talented young lady named Jess Soccorsi through some friends in Colorado, you can hear seven of her songs in the mp3 player below. Nico, Jon I may have to get you guys to help me with the music for a song or two. They know that it's by giving it all to Him, we are able to truly worship.
