Friends For The Journey

Every morning Debbie and I spend the first hour of the day in quiet, contemplative worship (actually, not totally true…the first 15 minutes I hold a cup of coffee and just stare at the wall with hair that would scare you!).

Every day, our worship is a little different. Sometimes we read from the Bible, sometimes from a devotional book (I am currently reading one with quotes from C. S. Lewis). Sometimes we just open a window and listen to the birds singing. Other times we pray. It is almost always a triangle—three communication between me, Debbie and our heavenly father. It is a rich time, and I have learned that my day is never the same without it.

As we have already seen in Warren’s book, worship is not about us, it is about God, and pleasing him. Below is a brief summary of chapter 13 (less than 300 words). By-the-way, I am missing all you guys (and gals) and our old times at Duffy’s. (…and for others of you, Stick & Stein’s) Hope your summer is going well!

(PS: if anyone would like to be removed from this list, please let me know…it will not hurt my feelings! )

Worship That Pleases God

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength – Mark 12:30

God wants all of you.

God doesn’t want a part of your life. He asks for all your heart, all your soul, your mind, and all your strength. God is not interested in halfhearted commitment, partial obedience, and the leftovers of your time and money. He desires your full devotion, not little bits of your life.

The kind of worship that pleases God has four characteristics.

God is pleased when our worship is accurate. People attempt to make God in their image: this is idolatry. Jesus said that we are to worship the Father in “spirit and in truth”.

God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful. God is not pleased with thoughtless repetition, he wants us to worship him with our mind as well as the heart.

God is pleased when our worship is practical. God wants your body in worship. “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1).

Real worship is costly. It will cost us our self-centeredness. Worship takes time and energy (love him with all of our strength).

Point to Ponder: God wants all of me.

Verse to Remember: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength – Mark 12:30

Question to Consider: Which is more pleasing to God right now—my public worship or my private worship?

What shall I do about this?