We were made to Worship
A few years ago a little book quietly came out by a relatively unknown author at the time, and took the nation and the world by storm. Soon believers and non-believers alike were all discussing this book and considering what new things it had to say about the very nature of the intimate relationship we share with our divine maker. Of course the book I’m speaking of is “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren. Throughout his book, Warren makes the case that we are not put here on this earth by accident, but rather that we are here with a purpose – we are put here by God and for God. Chapter one opens up with the title “It all starts with God” quoting from Colossians;
“For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible… everything got started in Him and finds it’s purpose in Him.” Col. 1:16 (Msg.)
A few years ago one of my favorite worship leaders/songwriters Christ Tomlin came out with a song called “Made to Worship” and speaks directly about what our place is in the grand scheme of things in one of my favorite lines from the song:
All we are,And all we have
Is all a gift from God that we receive
Brought to life
We open up our eyes
To see the majesty and glory of the King
Everything we are, everything we do and everything we say, sing – even our very existence itself is all a testimony to the greatness, the glory the majesty – and yes, even the awesomeness (Dare I say that word) of God! It’s all there in Psalm 100.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. (Psalm 100:1-3 NIV)
So, smile next Sunday and feel confident in that “so much as you are able” when you sing you are pleasing to God and beautiful in his sight! No matter what your voice may sound like and no matter how tall or short you are – you are becoming to God! God created you to worship him and that is all that is important - and all that we need to remember to make sense out of our busy and sometimes crazy lives!
Have a blessed month!
Dave Farmer
A collection of thoughts, ideas, prayers and experiences I have had over the years in my personal journey with Christ and growing as both a leader of worship, as well as a worshipper.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Freedom!
I write this just a few days before our nation celebrates one of it's most enduring and popular national holidays, "The Fourth of July." Here I was earlier, sitting on my sofa watching the news this evening and becoming so fed up (and somewhat depressed) with all the news that I was hearing about the crisis in gulf, the problems with trying to get the oil contained and cleaned up - as well as the financial worries and concerns about problems relating to the violence between the drug cartels in Mexico and so on and so on - that I finally just grabbed the remote and shut the TV off in frustration... Sitting there staring at the blank screen for several moments in stunned silence! I started thinking about what our forefathers would have thought of all that is going on in our country - and world in the year 2010! Freedom... what does that word really mean anyway?
Even in what most of us would consider to be the most "Free" country in the world - are we really as "free" as we think we are? We chain ourselves down in multitudes of ways that we cannot always see just how "burdened" we've become to our "things." We label ourselves Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives; pro-this or con-that! We have a huge national debt crisis hanging over all of us in the form of paid and un-paid mortgage payments, car payments, credit card debt, bailouts for banks while schools scrimp on paper and pencils and books all the while we just keep seeing more bills, bills, bills! We burden ourselves with worry over a multitude of matters - from paying for our health care and worry over health concerns to how do we pay for our children to go to college or pay for school or daycare for our children. The list goes on and on!
So are we really free?
I just had to turn off the TV and now I hope you can see why I did... Arg! I just sat there for a few minutes breathing deep and trying to relax; letting my thoughts drift away for a few moments. It's times like that when I like to day-dream of being somewhere far away - a cool green meadow amidst the tall Ponderosa pines or maybe sitting on a quite stretch of beach listening to the ocean waves pound the shore... Then I had a song come into my mind! (You knew that was coming I bet, huh?) Just the opening line kept playing in my head over and over... "Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom." (the Darrell Evans song - although there are several good "Freedom" worship songs - Charlie Hall has one I like)
That line comes from the book of 2nd Corinthians:
"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NIV)
The Lord's spirit give us Freedom. True holy freedom that overcomes all worry and fear which can hold us in bondage - holding us hostage and making us into slaves, held captive by the ways and things of this life.
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Gal. 5:1 NIV)
It helps me breath easier to know that as a believer in Christ, I am a "free" man because of His sacrifice for me on the cross and that he came to free us from sin as well as the burdens of slavery to all the ways and worries of this world.
This Sunday, when we are all out celebrating the fourth of July - singing songs like "God Bless America" or "America, the Beautiful" and watching the beautiful evening firework displays, eating BBQ and drinking our favorite soda and then capping it off with a dose of our favorite ice-cream or desserts... (ooh, I'm getting hungry already!) We should all pause, take a deep breath and relax for a few moments, remembering that if we walk in His spirit, we will have Freedom, and joy and hope and Peace! If we place our lives and everything we have in our Lord's hands - and thank God for his Amazing Grace, His grace that truly set us all free!
Blessings to you,
Dave
Even in what most of us would consider to be the most "Free" country in the world - are we really as "free" as we think we are? We chain ourselves down in multitudes of ways that we cannot always see just how "burdened" we've become to our "things." We label ourselves Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives; pro-this or con-that! We have a huge national debt crisis hanging over all of us in the form of paid and un-paid mortgage payments, car payments, credit card debt, bailouts for banks while schools scrimp on paper and pencils and books all the while we just keep seeing more bills, bills, bills! We burden ourselves with worry over a multitude of matters - from paying for our health care and worry over health concerns to how do we pay for our children to go to college or pay for school or daycare for our children. The list goes on and on!
So are we really free?
I just had to turn off the TV and now I hope you can see why I did... Arg! I just sat there for a few minutes breathing deep and trying to relax; letting my thoughts drift away for a few moments. It's times like that when I like to day-dream of being somewhere far away - a cool green meadow amidst the tall Ponderosa pines or maybe sitting on a quite stretch of beach listening to the ocean waves pound the shore... Then I had a song come into my mind! (You knew that was coming I bet, huh?) Just the opening line kept playing in my head over and over... "Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom." (the Darrell Evans song - although there are several good "Freedom" worship songs - Charlie Hall has one I like)
That line comes from the book of 2nd Corinthians:
"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NIV)
The Lord's spirit give us Freedom. True holy freedom that overcomes all worry and fear which can hold us in bondage - holding us hostage and making us into slaves, held captive by the ways and things of this life.
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Gal. 5:1 NIV)
It helps me breath easier to know that as a believer in Christ, I am a "free" man because of His sacrifice for me on the cross and that he came to free us from sin as well as the burdens of slavery to all the ways and worries of this world.
This Sunday, when we are all out celebrating the fourth of July - singing songs like "God Bless America" or "America, the Beautiful" and watching the beautiful evening firework displays, eating BBQ and drinking our favorite soda and then capping it off with a dose of our favorite ice-cream or desserts... (ooh, I'm getting hungry already!) We should all pause, take a deep breath and relax for a few moments, remembering that if we walk in His spirit, we will have Freedom, and joy and hope and Peace! If we place our lives and everything we have in our Lord's hands - and thank God for his Amazing Grace, His grace that truly set us all free!
Blessings to you,
Dave
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