Worship Start Day 9
Do you want to be changed?
I love change, but many people do not even like change. I want to be changed, but many would prefer everything to stay the same.
Do you want to be changed?
In John 5, there is a paralyzed man lying beside a pool that was thought to have healing powers. Yet, because of his condition, he was unable to get to the pool at the right moments.
Jesus shows up:
John 5:6
When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?"
The man begins answering by explaining his problem instead of answering the question.
Jesus stops asking and gives him a choice—listen or remain.
"Get up, take up your bed, and walk." And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
I believe there are many places in our lives that God wants to heal, but we are often more concerned with explaining the problem than listening to the One who is greater than the problem.
Over my life, I have silenced many convictions that God has placed on my heart with logic, defiance, and busyness. Then I bemoan the problem even more.
Do you want to be changed?
Are you truly willing for God to step into the darkened places of your life and shine His exposing light on your festering greed, envy, pride, and selfishness?
Do you want to be changed, or do you simply want to be mad at the problem?
Are you willing to experience the painful process that change brings, or would you rather just learn to live with it?
We say each Sunday, "Change me in this sacred moment," but do we really want to be changed? Are we truly willing to give God control over our relationships, finances, affections, careers, dreams, and goals?
Are we truly open to Him changing our hearts, opening our eyes to the problems of this world, and letting us hear the pain around us?
It is easy to say, yet difficult to live:
Change me!
Are you willing to be changed? Changed people do not stay the same. It will affect your time, your resources, your treasures, and your aspirations.
Worship Start Day 8
Over the last few weeks, I have been asking us to expect more when we gather in worship. I hope we expect God to move, to meet us, to challenge us, to convict us, to comfort us, and to change us in those sacred moments each Sunday.
But could we pray this each and every day? Could every day be a sacred moment?
I am reminded of David's words in Psalm 139, where he confesses that there is nowhere he can go to be away from God:
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If God is everywhere I go, and there is nowhere I can go where He is not, then could every moment have the potential to be sacred? Could my 2 p.m. slump at work be sacred? Could my Friday night relaxation at 9 p.m. be sacred? Could my stop-and-go commute be sacred?
Let's define sacred. Sacred is anything that is set apart, devoted, or reserved for a religious purpose. With that definition, I think every part of every day has the potential to be sacred. If the call of the Christian is to live on purpose for a purpose wherever we are, then we can have sacred moments at home, at work, on a walk, and in the car. Sacred moments can show up like burning bushes on the backside of the mountain, but they can also be found in the small encouragements we offer to those who are struggling.
Today, I encourage you to remember that God is everywhere: at work, at home, while you are awake, and while you sleep. These ordinary moments, devoted to God, become sacred moments where He changes us.
Pick one practice you do each day and devote it to God this week. It could be walking your dog, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, or drinking your coffee. Focus this week on purposefully devoting that space to God. Ask Him to open your eyes, ears, and heart to experience Him in that moment.
These are sacred moments where God can change us!
Worship Start Day 7
DEVOTION 7 – May My Heart Be Changed by You
Ezekiel 36:26
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
God changes hearts.
I cannot change my own heart.
These opening sentences are key to our understanding of the work of God. Left to ourselves, we are prone to selfishness, envy, pride, and the pursuit of our own desires. No matter how kind, nice, or good we try to be, we are still sinners in need of God's transforming work.
This is where we need God. He must change our hearts. He must draw us to understand that He is good, kind, and merciful. Our hearts must be opened to a love we don't deserve, grace we have not earned, and mercy that makes no sense.
As God makes these changes in our hearts through His Holy Spirit, we begin to see our affections and desires change.
Just last week, Carlin and I were talking about how God has moved us from a place of constant desiring to a place of contentment. No longer do we long for every new item at the store or for every brand that is out of our price range. God has worked in us a contentment that is deeply comforting.
Today, I want you to consider your affections.
What are the things you love most?
I bet most of them are good—or at least neutral—and that is okay.
The question I want you to consider is: What position and priority are you giving these things in your life?
Where does God want to continue changing your heart so that it more closely aligns with His? Where have greed, pride, or selfishness taken root and perhaps even begun to be nurtured in your life?
Worship Start Day 6
DEVOTION 6 – May My Mind Focus on You
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
The battle for our mind is real. The Enemy, Satan, wants nothing more than for our minds to be distracted away from God. In fact, distraction is often as effective as debate. A few weeks ago, we talked about how tomorrow is Satan’s favorite day. Today, Jordan has put a lot on the plate of "Tomorrow Jordan" (i.e., clean the car, read this book, fast, pray, make memories).
When we pray, "May my mind focus on you," it is a statement of wanting to consider the goodness of God rather than the worries of the world. It is a declaration to set our minds on things above, not on things below.
This takes intentionality. Our minds are prone to drift, become distracted, and distance themselves from God. If we are not careful, we can spend an entire day, week, or month ignoring the spiritual side of life.
We must choose to make our minds focus on God. Just as the people we spend time with affect who we become, what we allow our minds to dwell on affects what we do. That is exactly what marketing companies are counting on. The reason we can recite commercials for Aflac, Allstate, or Liberty Mutual is because we have seen them so many times. All of that exposure causes us to begin thinking about our own insurance coverage.
What is your mind focused on today?
It is Monday morning, so maybe your to-do list is already being built, the problems from last week are still lingering, and your mind is a bit foggy from a busy weekend.
What should your mind focus on today?
Paul encourages the church in Philippi with these words:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)
What will you allow your mind to focus on today?
What needs to be banished from your mind because it is not healthy, helpful, possible, or within your control? (We waste a lot of time worrying about "what ifs" that never come true!)
What is one thing that is true, honorable, pure, lovely, or excellent that you can focus on today?
Worship Start Day 5
DEVOTION 5 – May My Ears Hear You
A few weeks ago, I asked the question, "Do you expect anything to happen when you show up on Sunday?"
Do you expect that today could be a milestone day in your faith journey? It could be the day you choose to be baptized, surrender to the Lord, quit that habit, or submit your language, finances, or career to Him.
I think we often show up with very little expectation that anything will happen during the service. Me included.
That is why we proclaim:
As we gather, may my ears hear You.
We all need a word from the Lord.
What if you heard:
I love you. (Isaiah 43:4 or Jeremiah 31:3)
I am with you. (Isaiah 41:10)
I forgive you. (1 John 1:9)
I have a plan for you. (Jeremiah 29:11)
You don’t have to worry any longer. (Philippians 4:6-7 or Matthew 6:34)
You are not going to be alone forever. (Hebrews 13:5 or Deuteronomy 31:8)
It will get better. (Romans 8:28)
Stop that habit. (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Quit that job. (Colossians 3:23-24 – seeking God’s will for your work)
Reconcile that relationship. (Matthew 5:23-24)
My hope is that each week when we gather, you are able to connect with the God of the universe in a personal way—that the voice of the Lord, whether audible or impressed upon your heart, speaks clearly to you.
The second half of this is moving from hearing to doing. In fact, in Hebrew, the word shema ("to hear") never meant simply to listen, but carried with it the expectation of responding as well.
We are somewhat good at listening to what God says, but do we actually hear it? Do we respond to it? Do we change as a result of it?
May our ears truly hear Him.