Unity is from the Holy Spirit and begins in our thinking . . .

The verse for today’s devotional reading connects worship and obedience to the ear of God . . .

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. (John 9:31)

Yesterday I didn’t feel particularly obedient but was focused on worship. Our church service, particularly the sermon, pointed to unity. God is the source of unity — and as members of His Body, we need to remember our part in maintaining it. As we sang the last couple of songs, I thought, “We should be holding hands." Our attendance is around 500 people and I didn’t think all of them would have that idea. However, as our youth pastor came to the front to close in prayer, he said, “This may seem strange, but I want you to do something different as we end this remarkable service; I want you to join hands.”

For me, that was an ‘amen’ on the service. God’s Spirit provides the unity; we just need to listen to Him and do what He says. He spoke to me, and maybe others, and certainly to the youth pastor to demonstrate this simple show of unity, something God has given to our church yet we must never take for granted. What a blessing!

Tozer reminds me again that our worship must be in the Spirit and in truth. We cannot leave either out of it for that makes worship impossible, heat with no light or doctrinally correct but cold. That lovely day would have been spoiled if the truth had been spoken and sang by people who did not care.

Tozer adds that when a person is yielded to God, believes the truth of God, and is filled with the Spirit of God, even his faintest whisper will be worship. However, if I harbor elements in my life that displease to Him, I cannot truly worship God on Sunday or Monday, or any other time. My life needs to be kept on short accounts with Him, every day of the week.

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Lord Jesus, You have given me the Holy Spirit. He does the work of unifying my heart with Your heart and with the hearts of Your people. I cannot enjoy the latter if the first unity is not in place. Yesterday, You put the same thought in my head as You put in the youth pastor’s mind. That gave me a strong sense of unity with him, not that we need to think the same to be united, but in this situation, it worked that way. I also noted that listening to and sharing with others afterwards seemed to be easier — because we are all part of the same Body and have the same care and love for one another. It was a good day. Thank You.

Why I should listen to God . . .

Those who have studied and written books about what they call ‘love language’ say that each of us feels loved in a particular way. For some, it is receiving a gift, or a touch, or being heard. For me, having someone listen is important, but I feel most loved by meaningful conversation.

While this may not seem to meaningful to others, a few days ago the Holy Spirit kept nudging me. I am making a king-size quilt for our son. The top is done. The fabric that goes on the back was stiff and wrinkled. I put it through the steam/refresh cycle on my dryer, then ironed it — an exhausting task, and it was still stiff and had some wrinkles. Then the Holy Spirit kept telling me I should wash it. (Yes, He cares about everything I’m doing.)

I kept resisting. “But I’ve already ironed it.” I’d covered my craft table with a double flannelette sheet and taped it for that task. It was no fun at all. But that still small voice persisted. So finally, I gave in and washed the thing . . .

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts . . .” (Psalm 95:6–8)

Usually this verse in context is about hearing God speak regarding spiritual matters, such as ‘repent and be saved’ but it applies also to daily instruction from the Holy Spirit. I’m not to harden my heart — but listen — and listening to God is a form of worship, a way to show my love to Him. From this, I realize that God and I have the same love language! 😊

Worship means to bow down, to attribute worth, to exalt as supreme. It also means to give proper attention due, which means listening and obeying what God says. In other words, washing that huge hunk of fabric was an act of worship.

The funny thing is that even in this, God was looking out for my best interests. This is true of all His commands, but I had a senior moment or something and totally forgot that He loves me and wants good things for me. I’d imagined taking that yardage out of the washer/drying and having to iron it all over again.

NOT. It came out wrinkle-free, soft and ready to put on my quilting machine and use. I still will need another person to help me with that task, but no ironing necessary and it looks and feels the way it should. I didn’t realize that God knows how to quilt!

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Lord Jesus, when You invite me to kneel before You in worship I usually think of prayer, singing praise, speaking of Your attributes, and many other things, but now realize that listening to You and doing what You say is also an important way of expressing worship. Your will might involve enormous tasks that change the world, but You are also interested in the success of smaller tasks. You know how challenging this project has been (I told my son when I finished it, I was going to kill him) and how often I’ve called out to You for persistence. Thank You for reminding me that You are the expert Creator and that I need to pay attention when the Spirit tells me how to accomplish even a project like this.

What holiness isn’t . . .

Last night we were told that someone we know is seeing a medium. Her father abandoned the family when she was a baby and has since died. She wants the medium to connect her with the father that she never knew.

This is sad for two reasons. One, if the man was still alive and she was able to connect with him, she would likely be very disappointed. A father who leaves his family and never again contacts them is not usually the daddy that will please his little girl who is looking for him.

Secondly, turning to mediums puts a person in spiritual danger. In the Law of God, this is forbidden. The result is separation from the living family that that person already has . . .

“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you. For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.” (Leviticus 20:6–9)

This passage is in a longer section that describes holiness. In these verses, God points out that holiness is being set apart and unlike other people — because God is God and He has set His people apart. This makes us different from the rest of the world. To define what that means, He gives many examples. In these three verses, those who are set apart will not mess with mediums or any ‘spiritualists’ who claim to be able to connect the living from the dead. While this practice is an illusion or actual is not the issue so much as it indicates a disregard for the holiness and lordship of God.

The other indication of lack of holiness is an extremely negative attitude toward parents. Here the example is cursing them. The punishment is death. While those who believe in God are no longer under these ‘laws’, they reveal the extreme nature of lacking respect for mother and father.

Much of our world has shaken their fists against the laws of God and have the attitude ‘I will do what I want’ only to experience consequences. Not only that, many cannot connect the dots between cause and effect. We who believe in God through faith in Jesus Christ ought never forget that God is holy and because we are His children, we are also expected to act like it.

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Dear Lord Jesus, as Tozer says, holiness depends upon contact with You. Sin is a barricade that breaks or impairs that vital contact. Slight or enormous, disobedience to You interrupts my communion with You and brings defeat instead of victory into my life. I’m extremely thankful for the Holy Spirit who helps me connect the dots. As painful and as humiliating that may be, it is the only way to keep my way clear. Without Your grace, the holiness You call for becomes totally impossible.