I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
--Romans 12:1
More than ever, I believe Christians today need to remember that worship is a verb.
It’s not sitting and watching, it’s something you do. It is participation. It is not mere emotion. It is not a feeling or a thought process, but rather the active response of your heart, your life, and even your body to God!
If you go to a worship service and watch everyone else worship, you haven’t worshipped—you have become a religious consumer rather than a spiritual communer. You’ve become a spectator rather than a true worshipper.
Perhaps you grew up in a church where you sang hymns and participated at some level. But, maybe, just maybe, you have never had a genuine experience of encountering the presence of God in true worship.
If not, I challenge you to take time even today to tell God you desire to be a genuine worshipper. He will honor your prayer because He has made you to worship Him! You were created that you might know Him and make Him known.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, worshiping Him intimately and intensely should be the driving force in your life. That’s why I want to call you to become a true worshipper of the Lord Jesus Christ today, whether in or out of church!
YOU WERE MADE TO WORSHIP GOD!
Friday, June 07, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:”
Psalm 78:5–7
Many people think and plan a great deal to ensure they can leave a financial inheritance to their descendants. This is certainly not a bad thing to do, but it is far from the most important. Primarily, we should be planning and working to leave a heritage of faith for our families that will endure long after we are gone. This heritage of faith is not guaranteed, no matter how devout or sincere we may be in our personal lives. It requires an investment of time, prayer, effort, and faith if our children and grandchildren are to walk in our steps.
The vital importance this holds in God’s eyes is revealed in His description of Abraham and the reason God knew that he could be trusted. “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him” (Genesis 18:19). This is what God intends for every parent to do.
Far more important than success in our careers or our financial holdings is our success in faithful living—not just for ourselves but for those who follow after us. If we want our descendants to hope in God and obey His commands, we must succeed in this work. This does not happen by accident. Success only comes as we live that faith before them and share it with them.
Today's Growth Principle:
There is no greater impact we can make on the future than passing on a heritage of faith to our family.
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