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Worship

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It’s no accident that the first of the ten commandments says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Jesus also told us in the gospel of John that we should worship the Lord our God, and serve Him alone. The apostle Paul tells us that worshiping God pleases God. The book of Hebrews says that worship also draws us near to God, and Him to us. By worshiping the Lord, we acknowledge His true perfection and power.

So what does all this talk about worship have to do with evangelism? Why everything! If we want to be authentic Christians who make a difference in our world, we need to worship! In public and in private – with our whole lives! Romans chapter 12 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.”

As you worship God, He will reveal His character in you. When you give Him His rightful place in your life, He will be able to use you! He’ll increase your compassion for the lost. And you’ll want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone you meet. So worship God today and He will prepare you for great things and your cup will run over with the fullness of the Holy Spirit and you’ll be a blessing and you’ll reach out to others in a winsome way.

All This is Ours!

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Have you ever thought about the amazing privileges we have as children of God? Think about it. Hebrews chapter 10 tells us all about them. First, it says we can draw near to God with a sincere heart. That we do that in full assurance of faith. That our hearts are sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscious. That our bodies are washed with pure living water.

We hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess, because the One who promised it is faithful. We spur one another on to love and good deeds. We meet together for fellowship. We encourage one another and, it says, all the more as we see the Day of our Lord approaching.

You know, all these privileges are ours in Jesus Christ! Is that amazing or what? The blood of Jesus purified and opened the door in such a way that we can actually walk right into the most holy place, the very presence of God. In the Spirit, in prayer, in worship, in meditation-you and I can actually feel and be by faith, in reality, in the very presence of God Almighty.

Hebrews 10:19 says, “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.” Check it out for yourself. You can make an amazing impact on your world when you live life in light of God’s promises, God’s privileges, and God’s reality.

Stuck in a Rut

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Have you ever heard the phrase, “Besetting sins.” That’s what the old-timers used to call them. They’re the sins we go back to again and again. With some of us it’s temper, with some of us it’s gossip, with others it’s bitterness, or it could be a sexual sin.

So what do we do when we’re caught in a rut of sinful behavior? We have to go back to the Lord every single time! Every time confess and move on. I’ve heard many new converts say, “How many times am I going to go back and confess my sins?” As many as it takes! Eventually you’ll get so tired of confession that you’ll probably decide, I better not do it again. This is getting boring.

David says in Psalm 32 that he felt like his bones were dry as in the heat of summer until he confessed his sins to the Lord. And then he was forgiven, set free. It didn’t mean that he wasn’t tempted again, but now he was free from besetting sins.

First John 1 tells us that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. Romans 8 says we aren’t obligated to the sinful nature any more.

Hebrews 10 says this is now God’s covenant with us: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”

Don’t let besetting sins keep you from living fervently and free in Jesus. Your victory over sin is a tremendous testimony of abundant life in Jesus Christ, our Savior!

More Than Enough

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The theological experts tell us that number seven is the number of perfection. The book of Hebrews says seven times: “Once for all, once for all, once forever, once for all.” Seven times it repeats that the death of Christ was once for all. Why? Because it was sufficient. It was so perfect that there was no need for another sacrifice, by Christ or anybody else.

First Peter says: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” That’s one of the most amazing passages perhaps in the whole Bible. It is so rich! Think about it. Meditate on it. Under the old covenant the sacrifices went on and on and on and the people couldn’t take it. But the Lord allowed those sacrifices to happen so as to drive home to them that the point was sacrifices are necessary for salvation.

There are still some times I don’t get it all. I mistakenly think that if I do this or that, then God will think I’m such a good little boy. But it’s just not true. Jesus’ death on the cross was enough. It was more than enough. It paid the price for every one of us, so we can have abundant life here on Earth and eternal life when we die! His once-for-all, perfect sacrifice is what the world needed then and it’s what the world needs today! So, let them know about it.

Implanted in Our Hearts

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I went to a local church in Argentina when I was a teenager. There were always two elderly people who were there very early. They always opened the chapel for the Tuesday and Thursday meetings, which started at 7:30 at night. These people would arrive at 5:00 p.m. They were both illiterate but they knew the Word of the Lord and they knew the law of the Lord.

I would arrive early from work and I went straight to the chapel. I would sit with these two elders in the corner of the church. I would get them talking until the crowd began to arrive, sometimes for an hour. It was the best! They would tell me illustrations that were earthy, very day to day, and apply Bible passages. I was always impressed how, though they were illiterate, the Word of God was implanted in them.

That’s what Jeremiah says, in the Bible, regarding the new covenant that was to come: “I will put my law in their minds and write them on their hearts.”

When we spend time with God, He implants His word in our hearts, too. That’s when things get exciting! God’s word is hidden in your heart, and it just starts coming out of you. It spills out into the lives of those around you! And it draws them to Jesus Christ. So, every day, if you possibly can, every day spend time in the Word of God and you will be used by God in a mighty way.