Live by Truth

Pilate asked the greatest question of all time, "What is truth?" The sad part is that the answer was staring right in front of him. We see Jesus talk about truth a lot in the Bible. Truth is very important to God, and it transcends man's emotions, thoughts, and reasoning. Isaiah 55:9 says,

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (ESV)

Our fallen, sinful emotions sway in the wind of our sin nature. Our thoughts seek to please ourselves or mankind rather than God. Our reasoning does what benefits others or ourselves above what benefits God. Every ounce of our being is sinful because it contradicts God's truth infinitely.

But what is truth? When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemene before He was arrested He was praying for us. He prayed, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17 ESV)." God's word is truth. So then my question is:

How do we live by truth?

After Jesus was baptized He went straight into the wilderness to fast and be tempted by Satan. His first test after fasting for 40 days without food was Satan's mockery of how Jesus was hungry and could turn stones into bread to eat. Jesus had an interesting reply quoting the Old Testament, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4 ESV). Here Jesus was starving, yet He still lived by the Word of God first before the desires of His flesh.

It is necessary for us to be in God's Word as much as we can. Not because "that's what good Christians do", but because that's what Christians need. We can't live a strong, victorious Christian life without refreshing ourselves with God's Word.

Forgive this analogy.. since the Twilight book saga came out vampires have become a huge trend in movies and TV shows. Most of us know from these movies, shows, and books that vampires need blood to stay strong. Without it they weaken and in some shows wither. Well, the Christian's need for the Word of God is kind of like a vampire's need for blood. If we aren't reading the Bible and meditating on it, how can we expect to fight temptation and be strong in our faith? Our faith will wither and weaken without the strength of God's Word giving us power and strength.

But living by truth comes at a price since the people and systems of this world do not operate by God's truth. Jesus warns us in Matthew 10:34-39 that following Him and His truth may cost us because truth is so opposite and sometimes even condemned by those in the world:

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter- in- law against her mother- in- law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Jesus uses some of the closest relationships imaginable here. Family members, friends, business relationships, or any other relationships of the closest nature may be severed because of your following Christ. Paul says to live with men as peaceably as you can, but there may come a point where your path of following Christ causes separation from loved ones, and Christ gives the ultimatum: "whoever loves anyone more than Me is not worthy of Me." We must find our primary satisfaction in God and His truth above everyone and everything.

This weighs heavy on my heart. This is not an issue to be taken lightly. There is a cost to following Christ and His truth. Am I willing to make a stand for God that can result in me being made an outsider? Am I willing to be the "Jesus freak" in my classes at school because I don't follow the philosophies being taught? Am I willing to lose the respect of my professors and peers because God's truth doesn't match up with their reasoning? Am I willing to let others sever a relationship with me over my following Christ and the truth of the Bible? Am I willing to let loved ones hate me because of my love for God is greater than my love for them? For the glory of my God I say, yes!

May our hearts long and pray for the salvation of those who do not love God, may we long for them to enjoy the truth of God's Word, and may we long to see them satisfied in God for who He is.

Worship our God is spirit and truth today. Let Him humble you in the strength of His truth. Let Him quiet you with His love.

Blessings,
Nick

Pick and Choose

The beauty of the Gospel isn't that it makes a person pretend to be who they aren't. It's beauty is that God takes you as you are and changes you into a completely different person.

This begs the question to you, Christian, why do you pick and choose who you accept and despise? Is there any sinner that deserves to be shown the love of Christ over another? Let that question settle in for a minute..

Truth be told, you didn't (and don't) deserve to be given the love, grace and mercy of God any more than the lost sinner next you does. Brother and sisters, don't pick and choose who to love. Don't you understand the great love that has been given to you? Don't you want the enemies of God to be reconciled to Him as friends just as you are? How could you not?

Christians for centuries have looked a sinners in disgust. They have detested those who practice sin openly and in secret. They have categorized sinners as unworthy and untouchable, all the while forgetting that they used to be just like them. Yes, sinners are unworthy and detestable in the eyes of God, but that's what the cross is for! The blood of Christ makes sinners worthy and clean in the eyes of God! How dare you start judging and condemning sinners! Your job is to show them the love of Christ in word and deed.

What did Jesus do? He ate and drank with the sinners while calling them to repentance. We for too long have played the part of the Pharisee looking askance at sinners while parading our pride and arrogance of being better than the poor, wretched, lowly sinner. Your arrogance is disgusting to God.

The healthy are in no need of a physician, but the sick are. If man was righteous in himself, he wouldn't need God, but we all know that no man is perfect. Every single person living on the earth is in need of the righteousness of God through faith in the Gospel. Until you understand the grace that has been given to you and the love that has been shown to you, you will never love the lost. You will continue in your pride and arrogant attitude of "I'm better then them because I'm a Christian." Are you really a Christian? Do you understand the great Gospel our God? He came to seek and save the lost..

Don't pick and choose those who you think need to hear the Gospel. Give it freely.

Don't pick and choose who to show the love of Christ to.. Show it freely.

Don't be a hypocrite and hide the love of God from everyone. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Don't be ashamed of it. Don't be a hypocrite and believe the Gospel but hold your nose high above everyone else. That's not the love of God. Speak the truth about sin and judgment to come.. Speak of the grace and mercy and love through faith in Jesus' death and resurrection.. Save the judgment and condemnation of sinners for God..

Worship Him today,
Nick

How Deep Is His Love?...

I used to be very legalistic. It was to the point that I had no understanding of God's love for me. It was like I needed to make sure I was on God's good side before I could even feel loved by Him. I realize now that during those years I was robbed of knowing God's love because I was trying to please Him to help Him love me (like that's even possible!). This video broke me and made me realize just how much more God loves me in spite of my sin, and this is possible only, only, only, only because of God's work in my life.. through faith in Christ's redemptive work on the cross and the receipt of the blood-payment through His resurrection from the dead. I pray you are blessed and broken by this video.

Our God is great.. He is worthy of all praise, glory, and worship.. May He be glorified in us as we are most satisfied in Him and His grace. He loves us.. He loves you..

Worship Is Meaningless...

...without the moving of the Holy Spirit.

Speaking of congregational worship, we have replaced the moving of the Holy Spirit in our worship with moving lights and lyric backgrounds; not everywhere or in every church, but it is becoming a more and more popular scene. We have abandoned the essential requirement of the power of the Holy Spirit in us to worship God. King David so desperately knew that he needed the Holy Spirit in his life. Before Pentecost (Acts 1-3) the Holy Spirit was not commissioned to be the Helper for everyone who believed in the Messiah to come. He was a gift. Presently we have taken for granted the help of our God through His Spirit in us. We grieve Him and give not attention to His work or will in our lives. David knew that he needed the Spirit in order to have communion with God. He cried out to God in the Psalms,

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalms 51:10-12 ESV)


I think I've realized that I need to give up the effort on "getting people to worship" in my own strength. I can talk about God and how great He is until I'm blue in the face, but until I rely on the Holy Spirit to work in the praises of His people, I will get nowhere. Instead, I think now I will ask the Holy Spirit to do that for me. I will engage the Spirit during worship as an example to the congregation. I am a lead worshipper, not a worship leader (thanks to Matt Redman who coined that phrase in his book The Unquenchable Worshipper). I should be encouraging the congregation to engage the Holy Spirit with me. Worship is passionate, personal, precious communion with God.

I pray you see where I am coming from. Are light shows, extravagant lyric backgrounds, or even instruments necessary to engage the Holy Spirit in worship? No. Why then rely on them more than the Spirit Himself? I do not say this because I am completely against lights and backgrounds, but as an inspection into our own reasons and motives for worship.

To my fellow lead worshippers, engage the Holy Spirit as an example to your congregation. Remind them to engage the Holy Spirit. Don't rely on your talent or appearance (but don't neglect them either). Rely on the Holy Spirit.

To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, engage in communion with the Holy Spirit. Don't rely on the music or stage settings to move you. The Holy Spirit is enough. We worship Him, not our experience.

Lastly, don't be quick to judge others. You don't know the hearts of men. Work on your own heart and it's problems. Just be aware of your reasons for worshipping.

Blessings,
Nick

You Say You Love God... But...

Do you love others?

I mean, do you love others as Christ as loved you? Do you love those who are poorer than you? Do you love those who aren't as healthy as you? Do you love those that the world despises? Do you love those that don't measure up to the standard of you morality?

Face it, Christian, do you love the least? Do you serve them? Do you show them the love that Christ has shown you? If not, then why do you call yourself a Christian if you don't do to others what Christ has done to you? Do you think you are more important than the least? More righteous than the immoral? Too high class to pay attention to the lowest class? Do you think you are better than those who don't believe what you believe? Where is the love of Christ?

A preacher once said, "The church today is largely sleeping. It's like a great bedroom, and all the Christians are saying, 'Please don't wake me up! I want to keep on sleeping!'" The majority of what we call the church today is unaware of the dire necessity for the love and compassion of Christ that needs to be shown to the world; not only to each other but also to the world! We go around judging and condemning each other and the world when we should be encouraging each other and sharing the Gospel (in both speech and proof of action) with the world. Quit condemning each other over trite issues. Quit condemning the lost who are already condemned. Christ didn't come into the world to condemn the world. He came to save it! It is His right and duty alone to judge when He returns. So quit your condemnation. Quit your self-righteous attitudes. Quit your high and mighty prideful love for yourself. Start loving others the way Christ would have you do!

Mark Cahill, a man I would call a "reality is the motive" speaker, says "Engage the culture, or it will engage you!" He understands that we need to not shelter ourselves from the world and engage the world as Christ did. We need to go out into the world and reach sinners with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark shares the love of Christ in places with people that most Christians would detest. He gives them the Gospel and loves them with God's love. He engages them as Christ would have. Why? Because he knows that this is the mission Christ as called us to engage in. Mark not only says he loves God but his actions show it.

If God is precious to you, the things that are precious to God become precious to you. So if you say you love God and don't love your fellow Christian or someone who is lost, can you really say you love God? God hates sin and He hates sinners (Psalm 105), but He still to chose to love them and give them a way to be made reconciled to Him. Will you choose to love others, Christian or not, the way Christ has loved you?

There are two things I want to clarify before this blog entry ends. First, to love your fellow Christian does not mean look past their sin. It means to encourage, exhort, and carry each others burdens; and it means to call them out on sin in compassion and meekness. Second, to love a person who is not a Christian does not mean you legitimate their lifestyle, nor does it mean you give them approval of their sin. If you are legitimating their lifestyle and approving their sin, you don't understand sin and why it is wrong. It is your job to show them love and compassion, and not compromise the Gospel in doing so. Remember that you used to be an enemy of God as they are now so don't put your nose up at them. If it weren't for God's grace, you would still be in their position.

If you love God, you will love your fellow man. Simple as that. If you say you love God but don't love your fellow man, rethink your pride and humble yourself before God. Ask Him to give you a love for those He loves. Put your worship of God into action. Remember that we love because He first loved us.

Blessings,
Nick

Quit Complaining... God Doesn't Have to Explain

Many people think they are entitled to an explanation from God about everything that happens to them in their life. They think that God is responsible to them; that He has to tell them everything because He owes it to them. After all, the Bible says that all things work together for good for Christians. So why shouldn't I get an explanation about what goes on in my life? I find this to be a funny concept because God doesn't talk to us in audible voice (not to say He can't, He just usually doesn't since we have the Bible to guide us now) so why would we expect an answer from Him as if He is going to speak to us like that? I think it's better to say that people want everything to happen to them in such a way that they can make reason of it in their own logic. Otherwise you have to rely in faith that God is working everything out, and why would a Christian want to do that [insert sarcasm]?

We complain all the time about our circumstances: "Why am I going through this?", "Why would God let this happen to me?", "I wish my life was easier.", "God, what in the world is going on here?"... Look at the actions of Job after he lost his livestock and children:

"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." (Job 1:20-22, ESV)

How many of us would have this response to losing our children and wealth? What did Job know that caused him to have this response? That answer is simple. Job knew that God owned his life and all that had been given to him. He knew that God could give and take whatever He wanted from him. After all, we came into this world with nothing and we will leave with nothing. Everything given to us is a gift from God so don't find Him at fault when something is taken from you; whether it be a possession or loved one. Job went through a lot more than what 99% of us will ever go though, but he still praised the Lord through it all. So my question to you is:

Will you trust God as Job trusted Him?

Trusting God means understanding that He is in control. It means not complaining about how you think things should be. It means giving your own logic and understanding a break and letting God work things out for a change (all you worrywarts out there...). Isn't God bigger than all your problems? Don't you think He can handle minor details in the universe? After all, He did speak it into existence.

I'll leave you with what Paul told the Philippians:

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." (Philippians 2:14-17, ESV)

Worship God today knowing He is in control.

Blessings,
Nick

Praising God in the Unexpected

This past week I was involved in a pretty bad car accident. I was leaving a stop sign on my turn and another car ran its stop sign t-boning me at 50mph. We traveled about 30 feet from where the impact occurred. My first thought after everything stopped moving was "Thank You, Jesus!" I was still alive and not badly injured! My truck is totaled and I'm pretty beat up, but I'm still alive and walking.

Having a relationship with God with the understanding that I can praise Him in the good and bad times is a wonderful thing. When the bad times roll around I know that He is on my side and will protect me as He sees fit. So why get mad at the situation and God when He is in control. If I was supposed to die that day, or at least be seriously injured, it would have still been in His control. Praise Him that I am okay!

My question for you is:

Will you find reason to praise God and make an effort to see the good in any given situation?

It will test your faith. If your faith is weak, ask God to make it stronger. He would be more than happy to help you. If your faith is strong, press on and keep letting your life point to Him for all the world to see.

Blessings,
Nick

Why don't people worship?

As a worship leader, I have trouble wrestling with the fact that some people just don't want to worship. They don't want to sing or lift their hands in praise and adoration to God. Now that doesn't mean they are less of a Christian than the person next to them who is singing their heart out and raising their hands because the person next to them may just be there under pretense. Although I do think that a person's understanding of doctrine immensely influences the response of a person to God through music (and life, but I want to focus specifically on musical praise to God). As a worship leader, I can do all I can to make the environment perfect for an emotional drawing of a person, but without understanding great doctrine (like who God is, the Gospel, regeneration by the Spirit, the sinful state of man, grace, mercy, redemption, adoption of the children of God, etc.) we have nothing to base our praise and adoration of God on (this is a perfect reason to sing songs that have deep, meaningful doctrine).

Too much effort is being placed on making the environment the main influence to help people praise God. There are moving lights, laser lights, fog machines, animated slides for lyrics, and rockin' bands with sweet guitar licks and drum solos. Are these wrong to implement into a worship service? No, but if they are the main instrument used to influence people to worship, then yes, it is wrong. Are we worshipping, praising, and adoring God or the coolness of the environment?

My fellow Christian leaders, If we are not teaching our brothers and sisters about how great our God is, they will never be able to worship Him! If we never elaborate on the person and characteristics of God, how can they worship Him? If we put most of our focus the environment influencing the people, how is that not robbing them of praising God? How is that not robbing God of praise? No wonder the people don't worship and complain when the worship service wasn't perfect or wasn't exciting enough! Teach them of the greatness of God! Teach them of His holiness, His righteousness, His justice, His love, His grace, His mercy, His faithfulness, His patience, His kindness, His beauty, His majesty, His authority, His power, His wrath, His making a way for people to escape that wrath through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and the list goes on and on! Understand that it is not the environment that causes people to worship God. It is the relationship they have with Him that causes them to worship. God isn't impressed by our feeble attempts at making worship look cool. His delight is in the worship-filled, praise-filled hearts of His people that adore Him. If we don't teach this to the Church, they will never know what the purpose of worship is. They will never come to the understanding that musical worship is not about how cool everything looks or how entertaining it's supposed to be.

Brothers and sisters, God is great and mighty. He is a fortress of strength and power. His authority knows no boundaries. His wrath is infinite against sin, but His love, grace, and mercy are infinite towards those in Christ. He is forever our King and Friend. He will forever be our Savior. He never stops interceding for us all day and night. He never stops carrying us through our struggles. He never stops holding us when we are weak. He never restricts His hand of mercy upon us. He never ceases to be great! He never ceases to be majestic! He never ceases to be holy! He never ceases to be righteous! He never ceases to have control over all of His creation! Who is like our God!

Who is like our God!

So why don't people worship? Because they don't realize the greatness of their God. They don't sing songs magnifying the greatness Him, songs that tell of who He is and what He has done. Leaders, take your people to the throne of God and leave them in utter amazement and awe of Him.

Blessings,
Nick

Significance of Being "Born Again"

"[Nicodemus] came to Jesus by night and said to [Jesus], 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.' Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'” (John 3:2-3 ESV)

After reading today's entry you will walk away encouraged, convicted, or angry. All I ask that you please read the entire entry before tossing it aside.

The term "born again" has been criticized and scoffed at since Jesus first said it to Nicodemus. Nicodemus replied to Jesus saying, "How can a man go back into his mother's womb?" because didn't understand the significance of what Jesus just said to him. Even most of the world today doesn't understand what it means to be "born again". Some people make the term "born again" a derogatory term. They use it to put down and make fun of Christians. We must be encouraged when talked to this way even in the worst circumstance because Jesus said that the world will persecute us because it hates Jesus. Those who haven't been born again are enemies of God and Christians; you can see it in their words and actions towards us. The Bible says that even though they are our spiritual enemies we are to show love to then and turn the other cheek. We have to remember that they don't understand the things of the God or the Bible because they aren't born again. Do not be hostile to those who show hostility to you, but instead show them love.. the love that has been shown to you through the Savior. Now some even use an excuse to side-step being born again. They say "If God made me this way, why should I live any other way?". This excuse comes from a love of sin and a misunderstanding of the inherent sin of humanity. Since the time Adam and Eve sinned, all of humanity inherited a sinful nature that is in complete opposition to God in all of its will and desire. There is not one person (except for Jesus) who hasn't been born without a sinful nature. So to say that they were born with sinful desires because God made them that way is a false statement. They were born that way because sin made them that way. It is my personal belief that everyone is born not only with a sinful nature but a sinful nature that is prone to certain sins: lies, theft, lust, sex, homosexuality, envy, hatred, murder, lewdness, rebellion, and the list goes on. Our sinful nature is putrid to God. It is of the utmost stench and depravity to Him. This is why we must be born again. Those who do not understand the gravity of their sin only view being "born again" as mechanism or behavior control. Why then would they want to give up what feels so natural for them?

Now what does it mean to be born again?

Being born again is the epitome of a person's life on this side of eternity. It is at that point when a person comes out from under the condemnation of God and is put under the mercy and grace of God, by having their sins forgiven through faith in Christ and being set apart from the rest of sinful humanity. It is the point at which a person's spirit is awakened by God so that he may come into a relationship with God. At this point a person is given a new heart with new desires that hates sin and wants to do things that please God. From this point a person begins to conform to the image of Christ through sanctification (setting apart of one's life from sin and the ways of the world). All of this is attained when a person puts their faith in Christ alone for His righteousness (perfection) alone in place of their unrighteousness (sin or imperfection) apart from any works trying to earn righteousness. The significance of being born again is foundational to salvation. Without it, you can pretend to be a Christian all you want or you can even deny God completely and try to just be a good person, but you will go to hell in the end because of your sin. Christ commanded that you must be born again and He made the way to be born again. So why wait? Have you been born again? If not, throw yourself on the mercy of God today, lay all of your sin at the cross, leave all of your sin behind you, and trust that Christ paid for your sin so you could be granted His righteousness and find favor with God. Once you are born again God will never again have His hand of infinite wrath and condemnation against you. It will be his hand of infinite love filled with grace and mercy!

Let us thank God today for giving us a second birth through Christ. What a great and marvelous God we have!

Blessings,
Nick

Circumstances Around Us

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (Philippians 4:4 ESV)

Our moods and attitudes are substantially influenced by what is going on around us. If something good is happening or life seems to be going well, we tend to be happy. If something bad is happening or if life is tougher than it used to be, we tend to be sad or get angry. Moods can change in an instant and they are constantly fluctuating day in and day out like the waves of the sea. What then do we do with verse at the top of this blog entry? How can we maintain our objective to rejoice in the Lord always when the circumstances around us are trying to suppress enjoyment of and in God? How is it possible to have a joy that doesn't change with circumstances that seem to have an irresistible influence on our lives?

True, constant joy isn't a magic feeling that makes everything bad going on around you disappear. It's not a drug that numbs the pain of life's hardships and trials. True joy is a mindset that comes from an understanding of who God is and what He has done. It is a realization of God being bigger than and in control of any and every circumstance in our lives. It is a constant that cannot be removed as long as we continue to remember who God is and what he has done for us.

Life is tough. We all know that. There are crummy circumstances all around us. Sometimes they aren't so bad, but sometimes they are above and beyond what we think we can handle. It's during those times that we either blame God or rejoice in Him. When we have the joy of Lord we can rejoice in Him no matter what is going on because He is in control. If employment is lost, we have the hope that God will provide. If a loved one passes away, we have hope that we will live forever in eternity. If someone sins against us, we have the ability and love to forgive that person because we know how much God has forgiven us. There are so many situations in life that try to put out the flame of our joy in the Lord, but in all reality God's love for us can never be extinguished. Why? Because the promise of salvation to those who have received it will never be taken away and the grace that He gives to us everyday will never run short. Understand this, Christian! God is sufficient through all your crummy circumstances. His strength is made perfect in your weakness. He will never leave us or forsake us. His promises are too great for us to not rejoice in Him in every circumstance of life.

It's easy to rejoice in the good times, but it's the hard times that show us if we are really rejoicing for the right reasons. Who is like our God! What compares to the marvelous things He has done! How can we not rejoice in Him all the days of our lives?

We do not worship a god made with hands. We do not worship a god reliant upon the strength of man. We do not worship a god who is weak and unable to give us grace to deal with the circumstances of our lives. We worship the God who spoke everything into existence. We worship the God who makes promises and keeps them. We worship the God who became a man to rescue wretched sinners from their sin. We worship the God whose glory and majesty cannot be compared with. We worship the God who is bigger than all our problems. We worship the God who wants us to help carry our burdens.

Don't reduce God to a list of human capabilities. He is infinitely powerful and in control of the universe. Rejoice in that God and all the problems of this life will seem trivial in comparison. He is our Helper, our Counselor, our Friend. He is the King of the universe.

Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, O say, rejoice!

Blessings,
Nick

Reasons: Grace... Not Law

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22-25 ESV)

As Christians we know that our sin is revealed to us through the Law of God (commonly referred to as the Ten Commandments). Paul told the Romans that it is by the Law of God that sin is known and that by this Law the whole world will stand guilty before God. It is by this Law that we looked at ourselves before we came to saving faith in Christ. It is absolutely necessary for one to understand that his sin is exceedingly, infinitely offensive to God. Without this knowledge one cannot know the magnificent grace of God. As time goes on the Christian will continue to see himself more and more wretched before God as he understands the nature of his depravity. Even as we grow in sanctification away from sin into a reflection of Jesus Christ, parallel to this is the increasing knowledge of our own depravity.

One problem that has existed throughout the history of the Church is reliance upon the Law as a standard by which we are to measure lives to determine our standing with God. This is the mistake that Paul aggressively attacks in the epistle to the Galatians. Don't get me wrong. The Law is good. We are not to get rid of the Law because it is good. It is good in its purpose to reveal sin to the sinner. That is the only reason for the Law to be used. We need the Law to show us our sinfulness because we sear the tenderness of our conscience when we rationalize sin and skew our understanding of holiness; but as Christians the Law is not our standard for living. Love is our standard. Christ is our standard. Jesus said to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love your neighbor as He has loved you. For in these two commands all the Law and the prophets are fulfilled. The Ten Commandments is not the perfect law of liberty, love is, Christ is. The Ten Commandments only bring bondage to legalism if used as our standard. Jesus is the end of the Law for righteousness for all who believe. We live under grace now, not the Law.

The Law stirs up desire to sin. As humans we are prone to do that which we are told not to do. Children do this all the time. On the other hand, love stirs up righteous deeds within us (a godly love, that is). The Law doesn't help us be more like Christ. It helps us be more like legalistic in ourselves and towards others. Christ is love incarnate. To love with a godly love that glorifies God makes us more like Christ. I'm not talking about hippie love. I'm talking about a love that loves righteousness, goodness, and godliness; but hates sin, evil, and corruption. Christ gave us the freedom to do this when we trusted Him to save us.

What is our responsibility then?

We are to love God with every ounce of our being, glorify Him in all we do, and love our neighbors with the same love Christ has loved us with. We are no longer to live our lives as if we are constantly trying to stay on God's good side (He makes us right, remember?). We are no longer required to live by the Law and measure ourselves against it. The perfect law of liberty is love, grace. We compare ourselves to the commands of Jesus: Am I loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength? Am I loving my neighbor with the same love that Christ has loved me? There is no more obeying the Law for a righteous standing before God. Christ accomplished this on the cross and we obtain it through faith.

Pray with me today that we might love God and our neighbors. Pray that we will understand that as Christians this is our standard for living and not the Law. Worship our great and loving God today who has given us the freedom to display His love to others.

Blessings,
Nick

Reasons: He Makes Me Right

"Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse." (Job 9:20 ESV)

There is nothing we can do to make ourselves right before God. The most righteous person alive can't even come close to perfection in the presence of God. According to the standards between men we can say, do, and think all the right things. We can love our fellow mankind, help him, and even die for him, but this holds no bearing with God. Doing good for the sake of helping mankind or doing good for the sake of doing good is still sin in the eyes of God because it is done apart from the purpose of glorifying His name. Job understood this and realized that even though he could be the best person in the world he would never match up to God and His glory.

We have already established that our good works can't gain us entrance into heaven, and this new knowledge should prove to us even more as to why this is true. If God already views our good deeds as filthy garments and the world's most righteous (by man's standard) man as still a vile sinner, wouldn't trying to earn salvation or doing good works to make up for sin be even more disgusting in the sight of God? Most definitely! To say that you can help God make you right before Him is saying that you have some little tiny spark of goodness in you. This is an utter lie. The Bible says that we are depraved, godless beings that would love nothing more than to live our lives as we want without giving any credence to God and His standards, let alone do anything to please Him in the slightest. Yes, men do good to please God, but they bribe Him with good works. They don't want to glorify His name. They want to save their hides from hell. It is very important that we remember there is nothing we can do apart from faith (which even still comes from God) to please God.

As Christians we try to make up for our sins by doing good. We bribe God to get back on his "good side." Brothers and sisters, this is not the life that God has designed us to have as His children. That is still a life of bondage to good works. We don't try to make up for our sins because Christ paid for them on the cross. We don't have to try to cover our own sin with our own efforts to make them right because Christ has washed us with His blood! Don't get me wrong. If your sin has caused an ill effect towards someone that needs to be corrected, correct it. Just remember that our sins are paid for by the blood of Christ. In Him we have forgiveness, not in our works but in Him! He makes us right in spite of our depraved sinfulness. He makes us right by His own doing. When you sin you are to confess it to God as sin, turn away from it, and trust that Christ paid for the penalty for that sin on the cross in your place. Remember He makes us right. What love is this that God would not require us to make up for our sins because He already made up for them on the cross! What an inconceivable price..

I hear the Savior say
"Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness watch and pray;
Find in Me thine all in all."

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone
Can change the leper's spots
And melt the heart of stone

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete
"Jesus died my soul to save!"
My lips shall still repeat

'Cause Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead!
Oh, praise the One who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead!

What an awesome reason to worship our God...

Blessings,
Nick

Reasons: Sufficiency of God

"But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

Is God enough for you in any given situation in life? Is He sufficient for you if you prosper financially, have a happy marriage, bear healthy children, have good relationships with friends and co workers, or have a great retirement? Is He sufficient if you lose your job, have a rough marriage, have sick children, bad friendships and business relationships, or lose all your life savings and loved ones? The first question is pretty easy to answer with "of course!", but the second question isn't so easy. In fact, most people would have a mind to criticize God or complain to Him "I thought You were loving and cared for me," or "God, why are you doing/letting this happen to me?" This is the same attitude the Israelites had after Moses led them out of Egypt. They were all happy and joyful when the left their bondage, but when they found their way to the desert all they did was complain! God wasn't sufficient for them not because He Himself was lacking in anything but because they didn't have a right view of God. They thought God was supposed to do everything for them when, in all reality, it was their purpose to try to do things for God to glorify Him.

I don't know what other cultures are like, but as Americans we have been raised to believe we are entitled to anything and everything good. We are indoctrinated by the media and even the government that we deserve stuff so we can live better lives. This feeds our prideful and arrogant sin nature to the extreme, and because of all of this we act no different than the Israelites did in the wilderness. We get so offended and bent out of shape that we complain, nag, cry, and whimper to God and others when life gets tough and we don't get what we want. Why don't we rest in the sufficiency of God? Are we really that stubborn and pathetic? Truthfully, yes. Because of our sin we are that stubborn and pathetic. Those words are not powerful enough to describe our sinful condition.

God hates complaining. He hates it when we go about our business like this. He's not a suggestion box. He's our Helper, our Counselor. We are supposed to be satisfied in Him through any given situation of life. We are to come to Him with our problems so He can help us deal with and solve them, but instead we shrug Him off and choose to be self-centered instead of God-centered.

It is so important for us to have faith that God knows what He's doing in our lives. We have to have faith to know that He won't let anything happen in our lives that we can't endure with and through Him. John Piper once said, "When you can have it all, faith says, 'God is better.' When you lose it all, faith says, 'God is better.'" Don't let the trials and tribulations of this world choke out the joy of the Lord in you. Don't let the situations of this life rob from your heart enjoyment of God.

Scott Cunningham wrote, "For when I am weak Your strength is complete/ It's perfect/ Completely all I need/ Sufficient for me/ Your grace and Your peace/ It's perfect/ Completely all I need." He also wrote, "Don't give up/ For God is on our side/ Don't give up running for the prize/ Don't give up/ He'll give you strength to fight/ There's grace enough for you/ Don't give up."

Pray with me today that God will give us the strength to trust Him through every situation in life, good or bad, for the glory and enjoyment of Him with the knowledge that He is all we need.

Blessings,
Nick

Reasons: Security in Salvation (pt. 2)

Yesterday I pointed out some verses about how our salvation is secure in Christ. I want to expound on that more today, but first I want to talk about some common views people have regarding the security of salvation (or lack thereof).

1. Legalism
The first view I want to look at is a works-based view of salvation. There are those who claim to be Christians that hold to a view of salvation that demands an obedience to traditions or rules in order to obtain salvation. They say that they must do enough good works in order to be granted forgiveness and eternal life. If they sin, they have to make it up to God with good works in order to remain in a "saved" state. Even if they do well to obey all the traditions and rules, there is still no guarantee of salvation because they don't have a promise. It's like taking a test. You may think you did well, but you won't know the results of your work until the test is returned to you. I think we can all say that there is no security in this view. As Romans 4:13-15 says,

"For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression."

2. Faith and Works
Another view held by people and a few groups such as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses is a faith-works salvation. There are two ways to look at this view. The first view is faith in Christ's work on the cross is necessary for the initiation of salvation but it's your good works and obedience to God that keep you saved. The second view is you do your best to please God to earn your share in salvation and whatever you can't earn will be made up by Jesus' work on the cross.

The first view of a faith-works salvation is dangerous because the understanding that Jesus paid the whole price for sin on the cross is lacking. If you hold to this view, you have no hope of salvation. You want to take credit for part of your salvation which is stealing directly God's glory and placing it upon yourself. You boast in earning part of your own salvation. True salvation has no room for boasting. Ephesians 2:8-9 says,

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Good works are necessary to the Christian lifestyle, but they don't help save a person from the punishment of their sin. They complement salvation by being a testimony to the changed life that God has done in a person. They are a reflection salvation in a person, not an ingredient to salvation. Both together working for salvation cancel each other out.

The second view of the faith-works salvation, "do your best and Jesus makes up the rest", is almost just like the first view, and it's just as bad. If not, worse. I say that because it emphasizes more on the idea that good works or obedience take precedence to the cross. Jesus is basically fire insurance here as where the first view makes Jesus just the first step of salvation. Either way they both nullify substitutionary atonement (Jesus payment for all of our sin in on our behalf) and Jesus being the propitiation (satisfactory payment) for our sin. To say to God "I'm gonna do my best to please You and obey Your law. I trust that if I do that, Jesus will cover that which I couldn't obey. That way I can still do my best and get to heaven." Read Ephesians 2:8-9 again. There is still boasting in this view. There is still a stealing of God's glory and making it man's glory. Remember what Isaiah said about good works in Isaiah 64:6,

"We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."

Our good works apart from faith mean nothing to God. In fact, they are disgusting to Him because everything we do is tainted with sin (we do everything for ourselves or others apart from the primary purpose of glorifying God). So if you think you can "do your best and Jesus can make up the rest", you are greatly mistaken. There is no way you could begin to pay off your sin with good works anyways. Da T.R.U.T.H., a Christian rap artist, wrote concerning sin, "it's too extensive, don't get defensive, God gotta list of your sin too extensive." Again, God has called us to good works, but not for salvation. Good works are fruit from salvation for the reason of glorifying God.

So where is security in a faith-works based salvation? There is none. This might make you live a better life, a life that mimics that salvation has taken place, but you will live your life in a state of bondage to good works hoping that it's enough to keep you saved or a life of pride comparing yourself to the law while not knowing the law brings wrath.

3. Faith-Based
The last view is the view the Bible teaches: faith-based salvation. This is faith alone in Christ alone for His righteousness alone (in place of my unrighteousness) apart from any works of my own. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes this very clear. Now I want to expound upon why this view has ultimate security in salvation.

A. God is the one who draws.
People do not seek God. God seeks people. Psalm 14 and Romans 3 make this very clear. Man is a depraved being. He does not seek after God to know His will or His ways, nor will he ever do so. The only reason why a person would ever believe in the Gospel is because of the supernatural drawing of God to Himself. Jesus said in John 6:44,

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day."

Security? I think so.

B. Everyone who is drawn believes.
The whole of John 6 is an awesome example of security in salvation. Jesus teaches in one part of this chapter that everyone who is given to Jesus by God to save will be saved. John 10 is another great example of our security in Christ. Jesus said in John 10:27-30,

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

Those who have faith in Christ will never perish because God keeps them for Himself. What great truths to rest in!

C. Belief is an act of God.
A person can only believe by the will of God because man is completely unable to believe because of his depraved state. We've already established that no one searches after God so God has to do that work in a person Himself. John 1:12-13 should help solidify this. It says,

"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."

The work of salvation in you began with God. No part of your own self helped God begin this work.

D. Those who believe were chosen to believe.
Another reason why salvation is secure is because God chose those who believe to be saved. In eternity past (before God created the universe) God chose those who would believe (not based on anything they would do or wouldn't do, good or bad.. read Romans 9). Ephesians 1:3-6 says,

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."

The work of salvation is done in a person from beginning to end by God. We have established that God chose from before time those whom He would save, that those who believe are born of God's will not man's will, and that a person can only believe if God draws him because of the complete inability of man to choose God. The saving work of God can be summed up on Romans 8:29-30,

"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

Those who God predestined to salvation (through faith alone in Christ alone) are justified and glorified by God. He does everything in a person Himself for their salvation. It is nothing of ourselves. What great security this brings!

E. God will complete salvation in you.
God is the one who will finish you salvation, and there's no greater security than that. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6,

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

F. Conviction of Paul
Finally, the conviction of Paul was that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:38-39 says,

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Rejoice in the salvation you have. It is another reason to worship God. He has done everything for you. Now live for Him and produce good works for His glory.

Blessings,
Nick

Reasons: Security in Salvation

"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV)

There is security in salvation. When we put our faith in Christ alone for His righteousness and payment for sin we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. If I may, the Holy Spirit is our receipt, and our proof of purchase is our sanctification, our producing of the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control). God basically approves you (not based on what you've done, but based on what Christ has done for you and in you through the cross and His resurrection) for heaven, and He promises to hold to it. He is the one who saved you. He secures your salvation. He changes your heart to desire Him and enjoy Him. Look at this small passage from the Gospel of John:

"John 10:27-30
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

Those whom God gives to Jesus will never perish! Those who have been saved will never be snatched out of the hands of God. Now look at this verse from the Psalms:

Psalms 117:2
"For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!"

The love of God is steadfast. That means it is unwavering. God doesn't go back and forth in His love for those He has saved. It is unmovable... even when you sin against Him over and over. The other side of this coin is how God's faithfulness endures forever. When God says He's gonna do something He does it and He won't go back on His word. So when He says "they will never perish", He means it. I want to look at one more verse from the Psalms:

Psalm 32:1-2
"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."

Because of Christ's payment for our sin we can claim this verse as our own. We should be so excited when we read this! Why? Because of what Christ has done for us on the cross (and in us through faith in the work He did on the cross) God does not and will never count our sins against us.. ever!

Now look back at what we just uncovered. When we act upon the Gospel and put our faith in Christ alone for His righteousness alone God changes us and seals us with the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of our salvation and inheritance of eternal life with God. We established that no one can take us out of the hands of God. We know that God's love is unmoving and that He stands by His word. We learned that the Lord does not hold our sin against us anymore. All of this is possible because of God and He sealed it with the blood of Christ.

Meditate on God's faithfulness and love. Think about how you are secure in your salvation based not upon your own ability but because of God's ability. Remember that "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it..." Just another reason to worship God.

Blessings,
Nick

Reasons: Death Is Defeated

"For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

'Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?'

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:53-57 ESV)

Do you ever sit the guilt of your own sin wondering if you are really saved at all? Does the fear of death and guilt of your sin weigh you down like 100 pounds of bricks on your back because you know that you will never measure up to God's standards? I've been there. It's a depressing, scary place to be. Death is a scary reality. Death is a result of the sin of Adam and all the generations after him have inherited it. The statistics don't lie: 10 out of 10 people die. It's just a matter of time before death comes knocking at your door. When death knocks, you better have ready for God the payment for your sin, and that payment is righteousness, perfection, perfect obedience to God's Law. The only problem is our righteousness, our goodness, is worth nothing to God because everything we do is tainted with sin. Isaiah 64:4 says all of our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. If your good deeds aren't good enough to cancel out your sin, death will come to sweep you away into hell where you will endure the eternal consequences for you sin. Many will say "That's not fair! I did my best!" Well, God is not subject to fallen notions of fairness. Death has power to take you to hell because you have committed treason against God with your sin. God gives this power to death through the Law. Everyone who has ever lied, stolen, looked with lust, hated, committed sexual immorality, murdered, coveted, or put God in a lower position than where He ought to be has committed treason against God. After God, death is your worst enemy. When you die you will be declared guilty and be cast forever into hell where you will never stop paying for your sin. Sin is infinite treason that deserves infinite payment because it offends the infinite God. There is no escape that we can provide for ourselves. In ourselves we are doomed to the fate of our filthy, disgusting, putrid unrighteousness.

But the story doesn't end here...

There is a way of escape from this pitiful end. God knew from eternity past that man would fall, and He has always had a plan to pay for the sins of men. God became flesh in the person of Jesus who lived a perfect life. He had no sin and was therefore not under the power of death. He willingly laid His life down as a sacrifice for sin. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He died to take the wrath of God in our place. Three days later, when there was no possible way to say that He was only unconscious or sleeping, Jesus rose from the dead proving He has power over death. On that day death was swallowed up in victory by God Himself. Anyone who places their hope and trust in Christ alone for His righteousness alone apart from any good deed of their own will have their sin pardoned and its record destroyed.

Do you understand what this means if you put your hope and trust in Christ to pay for your sin? There is no more sin record against you! Death no longer has power over you! Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to all who believe! Christian, wake up and believe this glorious truth! God no longer holds your sin against you. He will never hold it against you anymore! No matter how hard Satan presses you about how bad you are, you can eternally say "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impure sin! I am blessed!"

So when death comes knocking on your door, greet him with a smile and great joy for you are not subject to him anymore. Your sin has been forgiven. Your debt is paid. Christ now dwells in you and He is the hope of glory. Live on this truth!

O death, where is your sting?
O death, where is your victory?

If this does not stir up joy and praise in your heart desiring to worship God, I don't know what will. Praise Him with me today as we rejoice in this glorious truth that God delivered us from the power of death into the eternal hope of His glory.

Blessings,
Nick

Here is a 24 minute video of Victor Watters' conversation with death which was read at his funeral. Victor was a brave you Christian man who just recently died of cancer.

Reasons To Worship

Over the next few days I would like to expound a little on a few reasons why we should worship God. I pray that these reasons will spark life into your hearts and give you the burning desire to enjoy God and worship Him. I have already discussed who God is so I want to focus more upon what He has done specifically in the life of us believers. I hope you stick around and draw from the well of God's marvelous joy with me!

Blessings,
Nick

Is Jesus Worth It?

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18 ESV)

"What's in it for me?" and "Is it worth being a Christian?" are two questions that run through the minds of those to whom we present the Gospel to. Our answer is "Of course it is!", but that answer only masks and and deceives the person to whom we answer unless we explain what the Bible says. The Christian life is not easy. Look at the disciples life after the Great Commission (which is the command to go out and preach the Gospel to every part of the world, making people disciples of Jesus, and teaching them all the things that Jesus commanded). They were mocked, beaten, tortured, and martyred. Guess what.. Jesus said that we are guarantees these things if we become followers of Him. In America we may think we're safe from these things, but we're not. The Columbine High School massacre resulted in students murdered because they wouldn't denounce the God of the Bible. We may not experience this all the time here in America, but we are mocked and scoffed at daily. It is only a matter of time before Christianity is repressed in America. So what do we say to people when that occurs in the "land of the free"? Being a Christian is more "worth it" in the terms of today's way of life as Americans than it will be when it's illegal to side with Christ.

Hundreds of Christians die every day throughout the world because they won't deny Jesus as Lord. When a Muslim in the Middle East or an Hindu in India become a Christian, they basically sign their death warrant because their families and culture view that as committing treason to their gods. They can be thrown in jail, dismembered, burned with fire or acid, tortured, shot, hacked with machetes, decapitated, etc., but Jesus is still worth it to them. They understand the verse at the top of this entry. They understand that the Gospel rings through eternity beyond anything that happens here on earth.

So what's in it for me and you in this life on earth? That's a simple answer: persecution (mocking, scoffing, beatings, torture, and sometimes death). Is it worth being a Christian? That's up to you what you're willing to go through for being a Christian. If you're willing to be assaulted with words and fists or be killed for what you believe, then yes. If you aren't willing to go be persecuted but want to have a comfortable life, it won't be worth it to you, but let me try to convince you otherwise.

If you have been following my blog, you will understand that this life is about giving all glory to God because it's all about Him. You also know that even though it's all about God, He became a man and died for sin on a cross so that if you have faith alone in Christ alone for His righteousness alone apart from any good works of your own (all for the glory of God), you will be forgiven and made righteous before God. So is Christ worth it? Are the trials and persecutions of this life worth it? You can bet your life on it (and you will)! Because in the end we will be with our God and King for eternity. Every hardship in this life is worth enduring because we will one day be in God's glorious presence with Him for eternity. Jesus said if you want to be His disciple, you must pick up your cross daily and follow Him. That means you must die to your fleshly desires every day and seek to serve Him. When you realize that serving Him is a great privilege (whether in hard times or good times) and you enjoy Him for who He is and what He's done, you will live a life of worship. You will begin to realize what it is to be a slave of worship because you can't help but do everything for the glory of God with a heart that desires to glorify God and enjoy Him.

Blessings,
Nick

Clarification About Worship

English is an interesting language being that it can be very vague and words can carry more than one meaning. For this reason I'd like to help clear up any misunderstandings as to what "slave of worship" means. "Worship" in the phrase "slave of worship" is used as a verb, not a noun. We are not slaves to worship in the sense that worship is our master. We are slaves to worship in that we can't help but worship to the appearance that we answer to the beck and call of worship. I will try to explain this the beat I can. A slave/servant does everything his master tells him to do. In the same way we should do everything the Jesus commands us to do. This is just being an obedient slave. But when enjoyment in and adoration of the master is present in the heart of the slave, service to the master is no longer a burden. When we enjoy Christ and adore Him above all things, it is no longer a burden for us to obey Him. Our obedience becomes worship. So when I say we are to be slaves of worship, our lives should be so full of love for God, enjoyment in Him, and adoration of Him that everything we think, speak, or act comes from a heart of worship. So we aren't directly slaves of worship (that is, worship being our master) but slaves of God who can't help but worship Him. I hope this helps clear up some miscommunications.

Blessings,
Nick

Earthly Model of a Heavenly Truth

"Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure'- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God.'" (Revelation 19:6-9)

My wife and I attended a wedding this weekend so I thought it would be appropriate to make this next entry about how the truths of earthly marriage are essential in understanding how to be a slave of worship. I can't stress enough the importance of understanding earthly marriage as a picture/model of eternal life with Christ. I hope you walk away from reading this entry with a new knowledge and understanding of how your walk with God should be. There are a lot of truths and principles of marriage, but I'll only look at a few of them as this is a blog and not a book.

Marriage first and foremost is a picture of Christ and the Church (God's people, Christians). Secondly, it is the way for a man and woman to enjoy each other exclusively as one flesh and glorify God through that relationship. On the other hand, our culture defines marriage as a mutual, legal contract between two people to be spouses. There are legal benefits to having a legal marriage contract, but it does not recognize a couple being spiritually united as one. You can't take a secular view of marriage and apply it to your walk with God. It fails miserably and I will show you how.

Marriage is a covenant, a promise, between a man and a woman to remain faithful to each other throughout all of life's difficulties and blessings no matter what for the glory of God until the day comes when one of them dies. Those are the vows you took (or one day will take), correct? In very simple terms, God took these vows when He made a covenant with Abraham to make Abraham's descendants a chosen people. He also took these vows in the proclamation through the Gospel: "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved", "My (Jesus) Father has given them (those who believe) to Me and no one is able to snatch them out of My hand", "nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord", "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." What you will find most interesting is that God began and will complete these covenants by His own power. When God made this covenant with Abraham He cut an animal in half and walked between the two halves by Himself. Abraham and God were supposed to walk between them together (as was the custom), but God made it to where He would take on responsibility to keep His people for Himself. It is the same with the New Testament covenant through the Gospel: Jesus took on the punishment of God in our place for sin and rose again to prove He has the power over death so that anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. God made that promise to keep for Himself His people. His love never fails. Look at the history of Abraham's descendants, the children of Israel. They were always rebelling against God and God judged them for it, but He remained faithful to them, He didn't cut them off from the earth, He provided for them, He called them His own, and He made a way for them to be saved from their sin. Even though God has opened up the Gospel to the rest of the world He still remains faithful to Israel and will fulfill His promise to save them. It's the same truth for the Church: God remains faithful to us even though we turn our backs Him every single day. He is the epitome of faithfulness. What a great God we have! Why wouldn't we remain faithful to Him?

The world would have you to believe if your spouse wrongs you in any way, if he, or if he or she no longer happy or finds another to love, it's pretty much okay to get a divorce and seek new love. This is a slap in the face to God. It is the complete opposite of how He designed marriage to be. We must follow His example: He will never leave us nor forsake us. So the next time you hear about some Christian friends who are getting married, ask them if they think divorce is okay. If they say yes, they are absolutely not ready to get married. Why? Because they don't have a biblical understanding of marriage. They think there is a way out if things go wrong. Remember Jesus remains faithful to His bride when She is not faithful to Him. Read Ephesians 5:22-33 and tell me if there is any room for divorce in marriage. As Christians, we are to be an example of Christ and the Church. Remain faithful to your spouse just as Christ has remained faithful to you.

Marriage is more than just about remaining faithful. It's about forgiving your spouse when he or she has wronged you. It's about letting go of grudges and choosing to faithfully love the other person. You might have a problem with forgiveness or holding grudges. A lot of people do. It's in our nature. Ask God for help in the area. Ask Him for strength to forgive and let go. Of course, you'll never be able to forget what happened, but forgiveness is about not holding anything against your spouse when they've done wrong and never bringing it up again. It's about picking up the pieces and moving on. Trust may be violated and might need to be regained. Take the time to work things out, but you must be willing to work things out. If you aren't willing, you need put your walk with God in check. You might not understand the forgiveness that has been given to you if you have even received forgiveness at all. That is another scary thought..

As you (both of you, that is) apply these principles in your earthly marriage, you will see how much more love you have for your spouse. You will grow closer to each other and have a stronger bond that is hard to break. If you believe these truths about God and His character, you will enjoy Him more as you draw closer to Him, and vice versa. As you grow in these truths you will have a greater desire to serve your God and spouse with love, honor, dignity, and selflessness. These aren't all of the principles and truths in marriage, but they are definitely some of the greatest. If you aren't married, you are kind out of the loop and that's okay. Why? Because if you believe God's promises and trust that He will always remain faithful to you no matter what, and if you will practice these principles with God, you will understand what marriage is all about and you will practice them with your spouse. It will be a learning process, no doubt, but you will be a step ahead of many marriages in this day and age.

Treasure Christ above all things. Treasure your spouse as Christ treasures you.

Blessings,
Nick

Biblical Purpose of Enjoyment: God or this World?

"Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, 'Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!' Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long." (Psalm 35:27-28 ESV)

The purpose of being a Christian isn't about being a good person, going to church every Sunday, or praying before you eat. It's not to read your Bible every day, pray before you eat, or sing songs to God in church. It's not to serve the community, the Church, or your family. Yes, these are all great things to do, but they only revolve around the main purpose. The purpose of being a Christian is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I've been talking a lot about enjoying God for who He is so I thought I'd take some time and expound on it. What about Him would make me want to enjoy Him? What has He done to make me want to enjoy Him?

The ability to enjoy God comes from an understanding of who He is and what He has done. Shai Linne (a Christian rap artist) describes God in one of his songs: "God is the universe's Creator and Sustainer, plus the only Savior, there is no one greater/ He's triune, holy, omnipotent, omniscient, absolute/ Loving, sovereign, righteous are a few of His attributes." God has ultimate authority over everyone and everything in creation: from the smallest part of the atom to the largest galaxy; from the lowest, poorest, weakest person to the highest, richest, most powerful person. He is perfectly righteous and perfect in justice: He can do no wrong and whatever He does is right. He loves mercy and is slow to anger, but He hates evil and His judgements are swift. He is the most fearful being to behold, yet He is most beautiful and magnificent. The list goes on and on..

God has done and is doing great things. He created the world in six literal 24-hour days, He gave Israel victory over the Canaanites in the Promised Land, He kept for Himself a remnant of believing people while the rest of Israel turned away from Him, He has kept the people of Israel alive and well without a homeland for almost 2,000 years, He became a man to take on the wrath of God for sins, He rose again the third day defeating death, He fills His people with His power to be bold for Him in the spreading of His Gospel, before time He had a plan to save sinners from their wretchedness, He lets His people come before Him without intervening priests, He made us His friends... Again, the list goes on and on and on... We should enjoy God for who He is because He is the most enjoyable Person in the universe. We should enjoy Him because of what He has done in history and for what He has done in our lives as believers.

The world promises enjoyment through many things: money, television, movies, food, sports, cars, sex, etc. But what the world doesn't tell you is that these things will never satisfy that desire of enjoyment because those things don't last forever. That's why people always have to have the "latest and greatest" stuff. It seems like the stuff we buy are out of style or old within a year of buying them. The world tells us "The next iPhone will be so much better than the last one!" or "The new [insert car here] has so many more features to offer than last year's model!" We feed feast on these words and act upon our impulses because we need the best, the latest, and the most expensive stuff like everyone else. When we see someone with the newest gadget or car we think to ourselves "I wish I had that..." or "Why can't I have that car like him?" When we take advantage of all the world has to offer to satisfy the desires of our hearts we end up replacing God with the temporary things of this world. Instead, take full advantage of enjoying God who will last forever. Remember that verse at the beginning of this post? God wants us to satisfy that desire for enjoyment with Him.

If you are a Christian, you've experienced the great love of God in your life through Him saving your soul from eternal damnation, you've experienced the grace and mercy of God, and you've experienced a changed life from your old ways of sin. Bask in the rays of who God is and what He does! Enjoy the love of God! Over and over again Psalms talks about how the steadfast love of God endures forever. That's something the things of this world can never compete with. So why entangle yourself with the things of this world? Why try to get pleasure out of something that won't last forever? Why try to enjoy something that you can't take with you when you die? It doesn't make sense. Now am I saying that you shouldn't enjoy the things of this world? Absolutely not. We can enjoy the things of this world as long as the things we enjoy aren't sin and prohibited by God. Remember whatever you enjoy more than God is an idol. Keep yourself in check when it comes to enjoying stuff. Remember that whatever you enjoy most will be reflected most in your life: God or the world.

With all that being said, just remember that God should be our ultimate source of enjoyment. There are two purposes for being a Christian. The first is to glorify God for who He is and what He's done. The second is to enjoy Him forever. Pray with me today that we will enjoy God more today than yesterday and more tomorrow than today.

Blessings,
Nick

Praise and Worship: Is There a Difference?

"Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power." (Psalm 21:13 ESV)

What's the difference between praise and worship? Is there a difference? Does it even matter? I can tell you that it is very important and it does matter. Understanding these two words will help you glorify God and enjoy Him even more!

Praise is an expression of how great someone or something is. When we see God in all His majesty and glory, in all His greatness and power, in all His grace and justice, in all His love and mercy, we should want to express how wonderful He is. Praise can be expressed in a thought, a prayer, a cheer, a proclamation, or a song. When we speak about how great God is, that's praise. How often do we praise God throughout the day? Do we even praise Him at all? Make great the greatness of God today!

Now what is worship? It's a bummer how the English language is so tied down and vague. Look at the Spanish word for worship: adoracion. doesn't that look like the English word adoration? How awesome is that! Worship is an act of adoration. It's an expression from the heart towards someone or something that you value greatly. What do you treasure most in this life? God? A person? Earthly things? Anything that you treasure more than God is an idol. That person or thing is an instrument to steal God's glory. Be careful about who or what you treasure most in this life. God is to be treasured and enjoyed above everything and everyone else in this lifetime. Worship is expressed when we stand in awe of God for who He is. When we enjoy God we are worshipping Him. When we treasure God we are worshipping Him. John Piper, said "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him". Being satisfied with God for who He is is worshipping Him.

May praise and worship of our great and living God fill your your hearts today, may the grace of our Lord Jesus transform your ways to His, and may the Holy Spirit fill you with power to do great things for the glory and pleasure of God!

Blessings,
Nick

Worship Music: Its Purpose and Misconceptions

"Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting." (Psalm 147:1 ESV)

I've been leading worship for almost half of my life, and I've come across and held many different viewpoints and experiences of worship during this time. This entry is going to be mainly from my point of view as a worship leader, but I hope you will still read this and grow in your relationship with the Lord.

I think there are many misconceptions when it comes to musical praise and worship. We have a problem with pride and selfishness, and our culture doesn't help us restrain that part of our lives.

Misconception #1-The culture of American Christianity tells me as a worship leader to choose songs for a worship set that will give the congregation a worshipful experience. Now there are two types of worship experiences: worshipping God and worshipping the experience. The latter of the two is what this culture wants me to engage in because it usually brings forth a larger response, but the Bible gives a different instruction. Hopefully you read the verse at the beginning of this entry. You will notice that is says it is good to sing songs to the Lord because it is pleasant. In other words, it's a great experience to sing songs to God, but there's another piece of this puzzle we need to connect. The last part of that verse says "a song of praise is fitting." It is a pleasant thing to sing praises to God because it is the right thing to do. It is a right response for us to sing praises to God, and when we are enjoying Him for who He is, it is pleasant for us. We are blessed by blessing God! What a concept! Don't sing worship songs to be blessed. Sing to worship God and you will be blessed!

Misconception #2- With that being said, another misconception of worship music is the idea that singing man-centered songs to God is actually worshipping God. After all, we are singing to God, right? Let's look at this closer. This somewhat stems from the previous misconception. Are we worshipping God to worship His excellent greatness or to make us feel warm and fluffy on the inside? Let me make sure I'm making myself clear. You can sing to God and feel good because you are enjoying Him, but you can also sing to God and feel good because you are enjoying the song or experience. There is a huge difference between these two. What glory does God get out of the latter? God is glorified through songs of praise, adoration, of telling of His works in our lives, and of prayer. But when we start worshipping God with songs about us to get something out of it, that is when actually stop worshipping God and start worshipping ourselves. We are stealing God's glory. That is a scary thought...

Misconception #3- I think one of the worst mistakes a worship leader and Christian can make is sing songs without understanding the meaning of the lyrics. Yeah, it might have a cool chorus, melody, or beat, but if you don't understand what you're singing, why on earth are you singing it!? Take time to understand what you are singing. Make sure it lines up with Scripture.

To my worship leader friends, if you can't explain the meaning of a song and back it up with Scripture, biblical principles, theology, or doctrine, you have no business leading that song. Period. I've wondered if God will group us in with pastors and teachers for a stricter judgement. After all, we are teaching theology and doctrine to the Church, right? That's another scary thought...

Misconception #4- Have you ever picked up a hymnal and read some of the hymns? Compare those hymns to songs today. It's as if we thought we needed to dumb down theology and doctrine in our worship songs today. Those hymns of old are filled with deep theology and doctrine! Look at these next few lyrics from almost any hymnal you can pick up, "A mighty fortress is our God. A bulwark never failing" and "What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer." How beautiful and deep are those words! Sing songs of deep theology and doctrine to your God, Christian! Now there are songs that are very simple and speak great truth that bring just as much glory to God as the deep theological hymns. All I'm saying is please don't neglect great songs of theology and doctrine, old or contemporary. They are such a blessing to sing!

Misconception #5- So many people and denominations argue about how their style of music is the only way worship music should be played. Worship music doesn't have to be of a particular genre to be worship. People have different preferences when it comes to music. Get over it and just accept the fact that people worship to different styles of music all around the world, and as long as people are glorifying God, enjoying Him for who He is, and not stealing attention from God, then God is pleased with that. I have my preferences of style when it comes to worship music and yours may be different, but we are still brothers and sisters in Christ. We are one body united by faith in Christ. One day when we stand before the throne of God it won't matter what our musical preferences were because the worship music in heaven will be so wonderful and awesome we will say that that music is the best genre for worship. What a day that will be!

Finally, I want to leave my worship leader friends a thought to chew on. The next time you lead the Church into worship ask yourself this, "Do I want people walking away saying 'the music was really cool today. I was really blessed by it...' or 'I'm so glad God has blessed me and I am able to express my gratitude and bless Him...'?"

Blessings,
Nick

Diversity: Actions

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:16, 24 ESV)

As Christians our actions show a lot about who we are. Do we show love towards each other or contempt? Do we help our brothers and sisters in need or leave them in the dust? Do our actions to show we love God or are our actions giving God and other Christians a bad reputation? Over and over throughout the New Testament God tells us that our actions are to be different from the rest of the world. If we act contrary to how Scripture says we are to act, how then can we say we are Christians? We are Christians, the Church, the called-out ones. A good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. The fruit you, Christian, should be bearing are of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Practice these things for the glory and pleasure of God as you enjoy Him for who He is! Now on the other side of the coin is the fruit of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. Do not practice these things, but suppress them with righteousness. If you practice these things, that is, make them a part of your lifestyle, you should be very afraid. Galatians 5 says that you will not inherit the kingdom of God if you practice these things. God is very serious about His children being set apart from sin. If you are reading this blog and are finding you haven't been a true Christian or maybe you've never even claimed to be a Christian, it's not too late to be forgiven and have a changed life, a life that glorifies God. Christ died for ungodly sinners even before we could come to Him. He rose from the dead three days later proving He has power over death and authority to forgive sinners. Take part in His gracious forgiveness today! Cry out to God for forgiveness. Put your faith alone in Christ alone for His righteousness alone apart from any good works of your own. The Bible says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved!

Christian, do not grow weary of doing good. Remember what 1 Corinthians 6 says, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Because of what God has done in us, because of His work in us through the Gospel, we are no longer slaves to sin and the flesh! We are slaves to God! We are His workmanship, His masterpieces, creates for good works! Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. Read that again... Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. All things, all things have become new! You are a new person in Christ when you are born again! This should produce so much thankfulness to God and a desire to do what is right out of a heart of gratitude and enjoyment of God! That is worship. Live a lifestyle of worship. Are you guys beginning to see a clearer picture of what it means to be a slave of worship? Are you beginning to have a deeper enjoyment of God for who He is? I pray that your desire is to be a slave of worship.

Finally, The Bible talks about a few other ways we can worship God: rejoicing, singing, clapping, raising hands, and dancing. When worship is understood as a lifestyle it produces these many different expressions of praise and adoration. So the next time you are in a Bible study where there's a time of musical worship to God, take that time to enjoy God. Praise and adore Him. He likes to hear you sing to Him out of a heart enjoying Him.

Blessings,
Nick

Diversity: Thoughts and Speech

Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. (Proverbs 4:23-27 ESV)

Thoughts are where all things we talk about and act out begin. It is so important that our thoughts remain pure if we want to maintain a lifestyle of worship. I'm not talking about having a "positive state of mind" that will bring about good things in your life as some of these TV preachers want you to believe. It's so much deeper and spiritual than that! Your mind is where you start filtering everything that you say and do. If you use the filter of Scripture in your thought processes, I believe you will begin to walk closer and closer with the Lord. But the filtering isn't just about watching what you think, it's also what you allow to be put in you. If you are constantly bombarding yourself with things of this world, your relationship with the Lord will be hindered greatly. Think about how vulnerable we are when it comes to our influences. When we hang around certain people we take on their characteristics and begin to act like they do. Its the same with other influences like TV, movies, music, and who we listen to on the radio. Your mind is like your digestive system: it needs food to digest. If you eat bad food, your health will be hindered. If you eat good food, your health will be increased. In the case of your mind, food is what you allow into your thought processes. If you are letting your mind feast on sex, profane speech, violence, etc., those are the thoughts your mind is going to dwell on. From there it's only a matter of time before you in some way start talking like and acting like those influences. Keep your mind guarded from things of the world that will hinder your walk with God, and filter your thoughts through Scripture to keep your walk with God pure. Take every thought captive to obey Christ. If you want to step up your relationship with God, make Him your enjoyment and dwell on His Word. But if you want to remain stagnant, keep influencing yourself with sinful things. If you prefer to do the latter, you should be very fearful. It could be that you have never understood the grace of God and haven't been saved from your sin... That is a scary thought.

I decided to keep thoughts and speech in one entry because they are so closely related. It takes so much more self-control to guard what you think and say than it does to have self-control over your body. James 3:2 says "For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body." I encourage you to read the rest of James 3. It's an amazing chapter. Jesus said in Matthew 15, "Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; that defiles a person." The over-religious Pharisees of Jesus day were so caught up in traditions that they would consider themselves defiled if they ate food without washing their hands. What they didn't understand was that their problem wasn't a physical problem but a spiritual problem. We have to remember that our main problems aren't physical but spiritual. Jesus said later in that chapter, "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone." Speech is an important component to a lifestyle of worship because it is a mirror of what is going on in our hearts. We use our speech for many things. It is our main form of communicating. It is the outlet of our thoughts. We should be using our speech to praise God, sing to Him, share the Gospel, and edify each other. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." As I mentioned before in an earlier post, we aren't perfect. We won't always be perfect, but if we are striving to be a slave of worship and enjoy God for who He is, the chances of us sinning will diminish drastically. This is a bittersweet thought: we will never be perfect until we get to heaven, but the thought of sinning less is a great motivator to try to filter our words!

Pray with me today that we will capture and filter our thoughts through Scripture. Pray that our speech will be glorifying to God and uplifting to others. May God be glorified as we strive to be slaves of worship.

Enjoying Him,
Nick

Diversity of Worship...

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:1-2 ESV)

A worshipful lifestyle is very diverse. As we have already established, any act that we do for the purpose of glorifying God through a heart that is enjoying God is an act of worship.. This encompasses our thoughts, speech, and actions. Over the next few days I want to take these apart to show just how important they are in the life of a slave of worship..

Part 1: Thoughts and Speech

Part 2: Actions

Blessings,
Nick

Why a "slave"?...

"Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:16-18 ESV)

Why on earth would I want to subject myself to being a slave of something? Truth be told, we are all slaves to something. The world is a slave to sin: money, lust, greed, pride, etc. But Christians are slaves to righteousness: love, mercy, justice, compassion, and good deeds. In the passage above, Paul is trying to tell us that being a slave doesn't mean that you are unwillfully subjected to be under sin or righteousness. He is saying that you are willfully under one or the other. He uses the phrase "present yourselves" to point this out. You have the choice to present yourself to God for righteousness or to the flesh for sin. As Christians we should be presenting ourselves to God as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him. Romans 12:1 says that this is our spiritual worship. Our worship stems not from being conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. You see, Christian, being a slave isn't a bad thing because in this context you are willfully subjecting yourself to your Master. When salvation took place in your life, when you were born again, God changed your convictions and desires of your heart. He placed the Holy Spirit in your being to help you do the things that please God. When you do those things that please God and glorify Him for the purpose of glorifying Him, that is worship.

The epistle of James says faith without works is dead. If you say you are a Christian and you don't have good works that glorify God backing up what you profess to believe, you need to make sure your heart is right with God. If you are a Christian, you are a slave to righteousness. Your thoughts, speech, and actions should be glorifying God. This isn't to say that Christians are perfect. The Bible says "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Christians don't let themselves make sin a routine in their lives... We don't practice sin. So again, if you claim to be a Christian, you better make sure your life lines up with a lifestyle that is evident of being a slave to righteousness. As you grow in faith and in the knowledge of the Word of God, you should see yourself growing more and more into a lifestyle of thoughts, speech, and actions that glorify God.

Not only should God-glorifying thoughts, speech, and deeds be evident in your life but also an enjoyment of God for who He is. Willfully subjecting yourself to God to be a slave of righteousness and enjoying Him for who He is produces a lifestyle of worship that flows out of you. You can subject yourself to be a "good person" all you want, but you won't have a life of enjoying God. You will only be burdened with legalism. Until you live for the glory of God alone through an enjoyment of Him for who He is, every effort to glorify God will be burdensome (immediately or eventually). Being a slave of worship is a joyful experience because there is no one more enjoyable than God.

Pray with me today that God will give us the ability to be slaves of righteousness and enjoy Him for who He is. Pray also that we will see God as more enjoyable than sin. May God glorify Himself in us and may we enjoy our Maker today.

Blessings,
Nick