Tag Archive - sacrifice

Worshiping in the Hard Times

July 21, 2010 in Ponderings, Worship with 0 Comments

It’s easy to worship God when things are going well. At those times, it is easy to celebrate God’s goodness and rejoice in His greatness. The challenge of worship comes when things in our life aren’t going so well. It’s in those moments that we need to remember that even though our circumstances have changed, God hasn’t.

This is something my wife, Beck (who blogs here), has been learning and experiencing over the past year. This month in our church’s newsletter, I asked her to share some of what she has been learning about worship in the hard times.


“My husband has allowed me to share with you this week about the journey of worshiping in the dark places of our lives. I imagine all of us at one time or another has struggled to worship God in the midst of pain, disappointment, sorrow. Maybe that’s you this week. I understand; I’ve felt the choking burn of tears hovering near the surface and the nagging pull of fear. I’ve struggled with some health concerns in the last year and the doctors don’t have answers. Recently I was talking to Jesus about the concerns and fears in my life; asking for His provision, teaching, empowering. In that moment I heard Him so sweetly say, worship Me. And I did. Romans 11:33-12:2 gives us the reason why He deserves worship at all times.

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

“As I obeyed and worshiped Him I poured out my heart, my worship, my trust, my need, my love as an act of faith and adoration. I felt like the woman in Luke 7, anointing Jesus feet with perfume, weeping and kissing those precious feet that came in search of me. And I knew that it was the Son who had drawn me to worship and the Spirit that had ignited the desire and ability to worship and the Father that had provided EVERYTHING I needed to worship Him in the first place. I am completely aware that even worship is something I can’t give Him on my own. And as I worshiped He gave to me; peace, joy, rest, His very presence.”

[QOTW] Let the Love of God Really Grip You

July 8, 2010 in QOTW with 0 Comments

“God saw Abraham’s sacrifice and said, ‘Now I know that you love me, because you did not withhold your only son from me’ [Gen. 22:12]. But how much more can we look at his sacrifice on the Cross, and say to God, ‘Now, we know that you love us. For you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love, from us.’ When the magnitude of what he did dawns on us, it makes it possible finally to rest our hearts in him rather than in anything else.”

Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods (New York, NY: Dutton, 2009), 18.

    Why Good Friday? Part 1

    March 19, 2010 in Ponderings, Worship with 3 Comments

    This is the first of a two-part post about Good Friday. This week I’ll be talking about an experience I had many years ago on Good Friday, and next week I’ll wrap up with why I think it is so important for evangelical Christians to also take time for Good Friday.

    While I was serving at in my first pastoral position, there was a young man in the youth group who was Catholic. He came to services and events at our church and also attended mass at his Catholic church. There was always an open invitation to go to mass with him, and I wanted to be able to do that. But it was hard because I obviously had to by at my church on Sundays.

    Growing up, the only exposure that I had to events such as Maundy Thursday or Good Friday was seeing them on the calendar, knowing what they represented, and understanding that mostly liturgical and catholic traditions highlighted them. We were focused (and rightly so) on the celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. It was a huge deal, but the preceding events weren’t as emphasized.

    The only way we could figure out how to attend mass with this young man was to go to a special non-Sunday mass. The first opportunity that came was Good Friday. So, off we go to Good Friday mass. I didn’t really know what to expect since I had never attended a Catholic service before.

    Being there was a moving experience. While the rituals and such were different than what I had previously experienced, I was drawn into the somber mood and reflection on the death of Christ. There wasn’t a need to tidy things up at the end and remind people of what was to come. I was able to see and comprehend the significance of the death and sacrifice of Jesus – His body broken for ours – in a new way. I was also surprised to discover that the Gospel was fully present, even though most of the people there probably were not hearing the depth of God’s love for us.

    I left very moved and reflective upon what I had experience and, more importantly, what Christ had experienced for me. The effect of that was most evident a few days later as I led the congregation in worship on Easter Sunday. I had a fresh and renewed desire to fully celebrate the resurrection because I had come face to face with Christ’s death in a much more significant way than before.

    I walked away from that Easter season with a new understanding of the importance of focusing on the entirety of the Easter season, and not just Easter Sunday. Taking time for Good Friday should be just as important for us as coming to church on Easter Sunday.

    Come back next Friday to read part two of this topic. Thanks for stopping by.