Unhindered worship

Years ago, John MacArthur did a sermon series on glorifying God. He used biblical examples with those words and brought out eight ways that we can glorify God. The one that surprised me came from Joshua.

The people of God were entering the land God promised to them. They took Jericho and soon attacked a city called Ai, but without success. Joshua fell before the Lord wondering why He had not given the enemy over to them. God said it was because of sin in their midst; someone had kept the spoils of war that were supposed to be destroyed. Joshua was told how to find the guilty party and when he had the culprit before him . . . 

“Then Joshua said to Achan, ‘My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.’ And Achan answered Joshua, ‘Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did . . .’” (Joshua 7:19–20)

One way to glorify God is by honest confession of sin!

There are other examples. I think often of the one by King David. He said:

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.” (Psalm 51:3–4)

The justness and mercy of God are glorified when we bow before Him in full recognition of sin. I say this to comment on today’s devotional. Tozer says, “If I live like a worldly and carnal tramp all day and then find myself in a time of crisis at midnight, how do I pray to a God who is holy? How do I address the One who has asked me to worship Him in spirit and in truth? Do I get on my knees and call on the name of Jesus because I believe there is some magic in that name?  . . . I have come to believe that no worship is wholly pleasing to God until there is nothing in us displeasing to God.”

The context suggests that I cannot worship God with sin in my life. Instead, I must be pure. While God wants purity, some might interpret this as a ‘works-righteousness’ salvation — one that bases our ability to please God on our perfection instead of the perfections of Jesus Christ. He is my righteousness, my holiness. If I am pleasing to God, it is because of Christ, not because I am utterly without sin.

That said, worship, like glorifying God, is not out of reach for those who come to Him in a crisis. Every believer knows that talking to God is difficult, even impossible with unconfessed sin messing up our relationship with Him. I cannot be totally pure, but I can come with sin in hand, knowing I’m not worthy to speak to Him, not worthy that He should listen. Only because of Jesus can I come to His throne finding grace in time of need.

Today’s verse suggests the attitude of one who worships rightly:

Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! (Psalm 99:5)

Purity cannot put me on my face at the feet of God. Only humility can do that. If I am bowed at His footstool, it is because I realize His holiness and how far short I fall. Sin is more than being ‘worldly and a carnal tramp all day’ but a condition of all humanity apart from Christ. Sin is a solemn truth about who I am without His grace, without His Son. While God does want me to come to Him with a pure heart and holy hands, the only way that can be done is realize this is in Christ, not in my ability to act like Christ nor in any godliness seen in me.  

I worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness — His holiness, not mine. If I am too dualistic about this, I’d rather err on the side of exalting Christ than err on the side of exalting any progress I might make as a Christian.

^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, Achan did admit his sin and this glorified You. However, the outcome was not mercy but wrath. God instructed the people to stone him to death even though Your holiness was magnified in his confession of sin. Today, I can worship You because of amazing grace that put that wrath I deserve on You. You exchanged my sin for Your righteousness and died for me. This is good news — a ‘face in the ground’ wonder, a reason to worship and exalt You and the only way that I can honestly do it — at Your feet!

Who is number one?

How can I make something or someone a priority in my life? I can put it at the top of my to-do list, spend most of my time with it, choose it over all else, and yet my heart can be elsewhere and the tasks mentioned become duty rather than a labor of love.

Tozer writes about the state of Christianity today. He makes a distinction between ‘religion’ and genuine faith by saying that the ‘religious’ people “make a great noise about believing the Bible” but the Bible has virtually no practical influence in their lives — it is not a priority. He adds that “fiction, films, fun, frolic, religious entertainment, Hollywood ideals, big business techniques and cheap, worldly philosophies now overrun the sanctuary.”

I attend a church that is not like that yet am anxious about the practical influence of the Bible part. If the Word of God is not changing lives, is it because it is not being read and studied? Is it because it is not given priority?

Before I became a Christian, I read the Bible each day as a duty, a thing I was supposed to do because my mother set the example. The words were just words and meant nothing until I met the living Christ in an encounter that changed everything.

However, my old heart is prone to fall back into old habits, to do my dutiful reading, to say my dutiful prayers, not out of a genuine love but just a habit. The book of Revelation speaks of a church that had “lost its first love” and I know that danger. Priority or first love — how can that be restored?

The Bible says, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:4–5)

Tozer says, “Could it be that too many of God’s true children … are sinning against God by guilty silence? When those whose eyes are opened by the touch of Christ become vocal and active God may begin to fight again on the side of truth.” Plainly he connects those first works with talking about Jesus.

As I recall, I didn’t talk as much as some do. I’m an introvert and enjoy silence, and I only think quickly to argue, not to be a thoughtful and encouraging verbal witness to the love of God. Related in one way, I’m not a sales person either, partly because I want to choose for myself, not be talked into anything. I tend to give others the same choice. That said, being vocal for Jesus has never been easy for me. I cannot do it unless the Holy Spirit fills me and gives me a good shove.

Tozer points to part of this passage. After I read it all, I noticed something . . .

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:9–14)

Jesus came to a people that should have known Him, but they did not. Only those who believed and were born of God could see His glory. How did that happen? It seems from these verses and others that no matter how vocal Jesus was, or His disciples, people did not believe unless the Holy Spirit gave them new life. The Spirit may have used the words of the Son and His followers, but those words were not necessarily effective on everyone. Those who did not believe in Him or receive Him turned against Him and put Him on a cross.

Where does this leave today’s church? Only God knows the human heart and I’m certain that many of His people are obedient and do speak when He motivates them to do so. There are others who refuse, to their shame. I also realize that I cannot speak apart from the Spirit. For one thing, I usually won’t as I’m not into pushing people, but when the Spirit tells me to be silent, I know it and when He tells me to speak up, I better do it.

^^^^^^^^

Jesus, You often come to me and speak instruction into my heart. Obedience is important. I know that You did not gift me with evangelism or the ability to persuade people. But I also know that if You want me to say something, I must say it. I’ve made excuses such as ‘no one will listen’ or ‘no one will like me’ or ‘I’m not good at this’ yet realize if the Holy Spirit wants to use my words, He will, even a fumbling effort. For me, the worst excuse would be that I’ve lost my love for You and have neglected to repent.

Do dreams mean anything?

Last night I dreamed of being in a European country and before being allowed to leave, I had to trace every penny I spent to discern the tax I owed. I was given a device much like a credit card-smart phone combination. It started with the beginning of my vacation and gave alternate choices of where I traveled next or what I purchased. If I remembered incorrectly, it kicked me back until I got it right.

This was a frustrating dream. The tax device came with a thick magazine of instructions that read like most tax forms. Other people tried to help me. By the time I woke up, I’d gone through the process so many times that I wanted to toss it and escape to the border.

This morning’s devotional verses brought a chuckle and make a good point:

“In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” (Isaiah 26:8–9)

How much better to yearn for God in the night than to try and escape an almost nightmare of a complicated dream. Not that God is simple, but even without being able to figure Him out, I can still worship Him rather than wanting to pitch any situation I’m in, dreaming or awake, and running away from it.

Sometimes dreams come from puzzles and situations in life. Sometimes, like my father used to say, they come from eating too much pizza! I rarely try to figure out the meaning of my dreams. If they are important, God seems to make that clear. Most of them are silly nonsense and I often wake up laughing aloud.

As for this dream, there is a purpose in God giving me these verses about seeking Him in the night. Some of the psalmists also write of yearning for God in the night. Is the person sleeping or awake? I’ve had a few dreams where God was at work and startled me awake, but most of my encounters with Him are when I am praying and His presence becomes obvious and precious. These are few. These verses heighten my desire to seek Him.

Isaiah says that when God’s judgments are present, then people learn His righteousness. This suggests a rebuke, a correction. It is like God to do that in private, not to make my follies known publicly but to correct and instruct me when I am alone. Nighttime for me is the best time; no distractions and no one else listening.

I didn’t get much from that dream about the complexity of figuring out what I owed in taxes except that I realize how frustrated I am of my complex brain. It is always set on ‘fast and furious’ and makes me tired. God is telling me that I need to focus on Him and more directly seek Him when life comes at me like a freight train. If I must review what I have done, where I’ve spent my resources, far better to do it with His hand holding mine — in the night when He has my full attention. Then I will not feel like running away but be able to slow down and see the righteousness that He is teaching me.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, faith in You is never dull. Yet thoughts of You always slow my crazy brain, give me pause, help me rest. If nothing else, dreams like that one last night, and Scripture passages like this one in the morning show me that waiting for You and seeking You are far more profitable than the frantic and frustrating exercise of trying to figure out life’s challenges without You!