“‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ Now you love yourself suitably when you love God better than yourself. What, then, you aim at in yourself you must aim at in your neighbor, namely, that he may love God with a perfect affection. For you do not love him as yourself, unless you try to draw him to that good which you are yourself pursuing. For this is the one good which has room for all to pursue it along with thee. From this precept proceed the duties of human society.”
– Augustine
The Impossible Side of Worship
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:33-36).
Biblical worship will always be shrouded in mystery. While we are commanded to love the Lord “with our understanding”, we will never fully understand. If you are waiting till you fully understand God before you worship, you will never worship. The eons of eternity will be insufficient in revealing the fullness of God.
I love this passage of Scripture. Paul just finished unpacking a very deep theological passage that is Romans 9-11. What is his response to truths that are hard to understand? Worship.
When it’s all said and done, worship remains. When our minds cannot fully grasp the depths of God’s wisdom, what can we do? Worship.
Is this an excuse for lazy Bible study or no Bible study? Nothing could be further from the truth.
If you study the Bible for the rest of your life and seek to understand every theological position, yet lack worship in your heart, it is lifeless. Stare into the mystery of God’s glory today…and worship.
New Future of Forestry album
Really looking forward to this new album. Future of Forestry is one of my favorite bands. They blend heart, God, rock, experimentation, hooks, and unprecedented coolness into all their stuff. Check out a brand new song on their myspace. And be sure to buy the album on May 5. They are planning to release three EPs every four months through January of 2010.
This is gonna be a good year.
Worshiping is Cherishing
It has been great going through these 40 Days of Consistency with my worship team. It has personally helped me to be driven by Biblical values instead of just a task list. Tasks lists are good, but they must proceed from faith and the Word of God.
Consider the verse for this week:
“I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened…” (Psalm 66:17).
It is possible to cry to God with our mouth, have high praise on our tongue, and yet cherish iniquity in our hearts. Remember Isaiah 29:13?
“…this people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me.”
God does not listen or receive that kind of worship. It is a dishonor to him rather than a cherishing of His name. The essence of worship is cherishing God. He is our treasure. He is our highest value. Growing in our worship means growing in our cherishing of Jesus.
Is He daily becoming more valuable to you? Are your affections for Jesus growing as you worship with your local church or are you worshiping with your mouth and yet cherishing sin in your heart?
"Humility: True Greatness" – C.J. Mahaney
Just finished another great book by C.J. Mahaney. Here are some highlights for me:
- Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.
- If you’re like me, you compare yourself to others and look for opportunities to claim greater importance than them, just as the disciples did.
- True greatness, biblically defined: Serving others for the glory of God.
- You should have a practical list to daily weaken pride and cultivate humility.
- “Fill your affections with the cross of Christ that there may be no room for sin” – John Owen
- How we begin our morning so often sets the tone for the day. I’m convince that the most decisive time of our day is very often our first waking moments, because they color everything to come.
- “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?” – Martyn Lloyd-Jones
- Only those who are humble can consistently identify evidences of grace in others who need adjustment.
- Some of the greatest manifestations of power I’ve seen are individuals who suffer greatly and yet aren’t complaining.
- In interacting with you, what is your spouse more aware of – evidences of grace you’ve noticed, or the need for change and growth?
- If you aren’t faithful to encourage, you can be sure you will eventually exasperate your child.
- Every conversation has potential. So let us pray, “Lord, help me discern what kind of grace this person needs.”
- What do your words reveal about your spirit? What report are your words filing about the condition of your soul?
- Are you regularly informing others of your temptations and sins, or do you present to them a carefully edited and flattering version of yourself?
- Parenting is about preparation
- If you’re a parent, don’t celebrate anything more than you celebrate Godly character.
- I never do anything passively. I’m never just observing. I always seek to impart discernment.
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