Worship That Makes Sense

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your reasonable act of worship.”  Romans 12:1

I love a room with a view.  Usually my hotel reservations only result in a nice shot of the parking lot, but occasionally, I’m blessed with the vista of a sun-kissed beach, a majestic mountain, or a glittering skyline.  At those times, I fling open the curtains and just sit and stare at the beauty before me.

We have all moments when what we see is so breathtaking, so spectacular, so splendid that we struggle to describe the details, so we simply say, “It moved me.”  That’s a great expression but a lousy explanation.  It moved you to do what?  Gasp?  Tweet?  Praise?  Take a picture?  Mere recognition is not enough—our response reveals how much we truly value the view.

This works with worship and not just windows.  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God”(Rom 12:1).  Our view of God’s mercy is astounding.  We, the stubborn, sinful, defiant slaves to sin(Rom 3:23, 8:7. 6:17) have been rescued, redeemed, and freed(Rom 5:9, 8:2), not because of our works but because of God’s will.  We don’t deserve it, but God did it—because He wanted to.  Nothing could be more beautiful and more breathtaking.  “It moves us,” we might say, but moves us to do what?

To give back.  To offer up.  To throw open our lives from head to toe and say to God, “I’m all yours!”  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God”(Rom 12:1).  When you see the word “therefore,” stop and think what it’s there for.  It often calls us to consider previously stated facts and to choose who we’ll react.  Paul has spent eleven chapters helping us realize God’s gracious plan to save us from hopelessness and hell, and now he calls for a response.  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices.”

Recognition without response leaves grandeur under-appreciated and devalued, for a nod of the head means nothing without a bend of the knee.  God’s great grace and magnificent mercy merits a move beyond acknowledgement to action—to give all that we are because of all that He did.   If that seems like a lot, it’s not.  It’s the only intelligent response.  “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your reasonable act of worship”(Rom 12:1).  When you see all God has given to you (“in view of God’s mercy”), it just makes sense to give all that you are to Him (“offer your bodies as living sacrifices”).  As one translation said, “That’s the most sensible way to serve God.”

Mere recognition of God’s mercy is not enough—our response reveals how much we truly value the view.

Climb on the altar and be completely His.

Wanted!

“Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”  Romans 11:33 

God doesn’t need you, but He wants you.  

If you remember nothing else, don’t forget this, and do be in awe.  Your salvation is part of God’s mighty, eternal purpose, and His great mercy has made you His own.  Overwhelmed by this dense mystery of God’s sovereignty, the Apostle Paul broke into a doxology of amazed praise in the middle of his letter to the Christians in Rome.

“Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!  Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?  Who has ever given to God that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!  Amen!” (Rom 11:33-36)

God’s wisdom and His ways are way beyond us.  We can’t completely understand Him, and we won’t ever figure Him out.  He has no need to ask us for advice or solicit our opinions.  God has no debts to pay and no favors to return.  He is obligated to none, and His grace is never compensation for our goodness.  All things—whether the vast grandeur of a supernova or the simple joy of an infant’s smile—are from Him.  All things—the anticipation of an exciting event, the intimacy of a close friendship, or the satisfaction of a good day’s work—are through Him.  And all things—from our first cry to our last breath—should be for Him.  Forever.

This immense, invincible, super-supreme God does not need us in any way, but He wants us in every way, and His marvelous grace made the way for us to be His.  We always know this truth in our heads, but occasionally we grasp it more deeply in our hearts.  This past week was one of those times for me. I spent six days chaperoning 25 terrific high school kids at youth camp in North Carolina, and the change of schedule, scenery, and pace, bolstered by Biblical teaching and honest worship, provided the opportunity to re-realize and re-believe that Jesus is my everything.  Without hesitation or reservation I could tell those precious students, most of whom are dealing with life and its losses much earlier than seems fair, that though sometimes we cannot trace God’s hand, we can always trust His heart. God’s thoughts and His ways may be higher than our own (Isaiah 55:9), but His heart is right where we are, and His love will never let us go(Rom 8:39).

As you consider the greatness and grace of God today, don’t protest because you’re not needed; praise Him because you are wanted, and let all of your life be all for His glory—forever.

My Dad

Today is Father’s Day, and I’ve been thinking about my dad. 

My father is good at many things, but he’s particularly great at one thing—growing things.  His fridge, freezers, and pantry bulge each year with prolific fruits and vegetables gathered from his yard and garden, and, for decades, hundreds of acres of peanuts, soybeans, corn, and cotton were harvested from land he farmed, but it wasn’t only plants I had in mind.  I was thinking more about people.

Just as the plants he tilled and tended required much effort be put in to help them grow and mature, so my dad generously gave much of himself to many around him.  He grew a dating relationship with his college sweetheart into a marriage which has lasted happily over half a century.  He grew three adventurous and curious offspring into somewhat normal and productive adults.  (I’m bracing for the comments!)  His love and guidance are helping nine treasured grandchildren grow in a broader understanding of the earth where they live and the eternity they are designed for.

Though my father would strongly(and rightly) maintain that while we may plant or water, only God makes things grow(1 Cor. 3:6), I will tell you that God used my dad’s faith and faithfulness to grow the ministry of a small, country church from a local focus to widespread support and excitement for domestic and international missions.  During the thirty years he pastored that one congregation, he grew the members in their knowledge of the God of the Word by devotedly teaching them the Word of God.    

Along with his brothers, my father grew a family farm into a thriving business providing jobs and support for many employees.  He also grew the influence and effectiveness of the Christian school we attended by serving on the board for many years,  giving much of his time to handle issues and help the administration, and generously donating finances in times of need.  Because of what he did, thousands of children and their families have grown in God’s love and truth.

We’re instructed in God’s Word to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”(2 Peter 3:18), and my father’s example of obedience has grown my own relationship with Jesus.  Fifty years ago, my dad walked away from a lucrative and secure electrical engineering job to work as a missionary with a Christian radio station in the Caribbean. Through his example, my faith grew to believe that God has better plans than what the world considers best, and my understanding that God’s Word is the only word that matters has increased.

I saw my dad just yesterday and held his big, strong hand as our family gathered to pray before we headed back to Florida.  After the “Amen,” he put his long arms around me and my oldest daughter and encouraged us to read Malachi 3:16-17 in preparation for our upcoming youth camp.  On the drive home, I looked up the reference and found this verse:  “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.  A scroll of remembrance was written in God’s presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name”(vs 16).

If God is still writing such scrolls, I know my father’s name would be on one, for God’s grace has grown him into a man who daily fears the Lord and honors God’s name in all of his life.  What a blessing to grow up with a dad whose deepest desire was the glory of God, and how beautiful to know that our Heavenly Father says to all who know Him, “They will be mine”(vs 17).

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy.  I love you. Thank you for helping me, and so many others, grow in so many ways.

The Ultimate Pedicure

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”  Romans 10:15

One day during a late afternoon visit, my parents’ neighbor announced that her daughter was getting married.  Quite surprised and a bit concerned at both the haste and choice of husband, my mom asked the future mother-in-law the good things about the guy.  The lady’s answer—and I am not lying—was, “Well, he has pretty feet.”

That’s not much to stand on in marriage (don’t ask how long it lasted), but if the compliment comes from our Heavenly Father, it’s sure and solid stuff.  “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news”(Rom 10:15). Somebody brought the gospel to you, and it’s your privilege and responsibility to carry it on to others.  People can’t know God unless they know about God, and we’re the ones who get to share His good news.  “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”(Rom 10:14-15).

Paul borrowed this verse from chapter 52 of Isaiah, where the prophet was proclaiming words of hope to a helpless people.  The city of God and the people of God were in ruins—desolate and desperate, but the situation was not permanent, “for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem”(Isaiah 52:9).  Those who climbed the country’s harsh hills to spread the glad tidings received God’s accolade.  “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news”(Isaiah 52:7).

The path of purposefully bringing the gospel to others is rarely flat, smooth, and simple.  The trail is oft beset with barriers which must be crossed, briars that snag and slow, and dirt which cakes and chafes.  Traveling such roads leaves us calloused, scratched, and sore, but along the way, we meet the hopeless and helpless, the desolate and desperate—people whose lives are ruined by sin.  When we bring the good news of God’s grace to those in need, He thinks our feet are beautiful. 

In a culture obsessed with pretty feet—Americans spend over 1 billion dollars annually on pedicures—perhaps we should also consider a divine approach to beauty.  It’s not what our feet look like that matters; it’s where they go and where they lead.  As we walk with Jesus daily, spreading His truth through our attitudes, actions, affections, and words, our steps become a sermon illustrating His great story of redemption.

Pretty feet aren’t a requirement for husbands, but they should be readily found on Christians.

Let your steps lead others to Jesus.

The Petulant Pot

“Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’”  Romans 9:20 

One year for Christmas when we were kids, my sister received a potter’s wheel, and on occasion I tried to use it.  Poor clay.  I smashed it, spun it, shaped it, pinched it, pushed it, and pounded it—over and over and over, but in spite of my best efforts, the end result was rarely smooth and never lovely.  Yet the clay never complained, but simply sat silently, letting me mold and make it into whatever I desired.

Perhaps Paul had spent time playing at a potter’s wheel because in the middle of his bedrock treatise on the sovereignty of God, He uses this same example to drive home his point.  “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?  Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’”(Romans 9:20)  The apostle is accenting God’s ultimate right as Creator to use us as He wills for the purpose of His glory.  I would never want to deflect from such astounding truth, but the unvoiced question of the clay has captured my current attention.

“Why have you made me like this?”  The clay may never say it, but we certainly do.  Over and over and over—every time we’re discontent with our appearance or our abilities.  We want to be taller, shorter, smaller, or stronger.  We would like different hair, better skin, straighter teeth.  We wish we could sing or speak or play or teach or run or paint like others we know or know about.  We think that “if only I was…” or “if only I could…” then we would be more useful or valuable, but such is not so.  There is no “look” that will make you more loved and no talent that can make you more treasured, for your worth lies not in what you are but in the One who made you what you are. 

A simple illustration to prove my point—an upstairs dresser at my parents’ home is graced with a decorative ceramic washbowl and matching pitcher.  It is lovely and large but worth very little. (It might fetch five bucks at a good garage sale.)  Today, in a quick look online, I found another washbowl and jug—not quite a large and not nearly as lovely but worth a whole lot more.  (As in several hundred dollars.)  Why?  Because of who made it.  My dear, fun, and funny Great-aunt Jeannette fashioned the first, but a potter at the famous British company Burgess & Leigh crafted the second. The value lies not in the creation but in the creator.   

Be content with God’s creation, and stop craving change.  This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be the best we can be in appearance or ability (as my college pastor would sometimes say, “A little paint never hurt the old barn!”), but it means that we should cease from constantly comparing ourselves with others we believe are better.  The One who made you fashioned you to fit His purpose and plan, and if He wanted you to be different, He would have designed you that way.  Our continued griping might make God wonder if we doubt His wisdom or resent His authority.

“Why have you made me like this?”  Don’t ask that question in angered resentment.  Instead, ask it in honest submission, and let God show you His answer.