Worship – You Are God and I Am Not – Purity 1381
Purity 1381 06/21/2024 Purity 1381 Podcast
Purity 1381 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of the weathered surface of a picnic table and a roaring campfire surrounded by a forest of green comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene during my backpacking/camping trip to Nenorod Cabin in Rupert Vermont back on May 25th. My wife and I liked the peace and solitude of that place so much that we decided to make a stay there a yearly tradition – and I just booked it for a return trip next year! But it’s not just the thrill of roughing it or getting out in nature that makes our stay there a special time, we also spend time in worship as we are not only blessed with enough cell reception to stream our church’s online services on Sunday morning, but we also carry the extra weight of our Bibles and other Christian resources to draw near to the Lord with while we are there.
Well, it’s Friday, Thank God, and although I don’t have any specific plans for this weekend, I know that parts of my time away from my day job at my countryside home will be spent in “worship”. My daily spiritual practices of prayer, gratitude, meditation, and Bible study, my walks along Freedom Road, and even time listening or watching Christian music, audiobooks, podcasts, or videos are all ways to connect with God but of the thing that marks the special times with the Lord are those times when I turn away from whatever it is I am doing and talk to Him and listen to what He has to say to me and that can happen at any time, during any of those activities. Sometimes worship comes when my walk is on solid ground and where I am doing everything right and just experiencing peace and joy and am thankful for it, but more often than not and perhaps more importantly, worship happens when I may not be performing as I should be or when things are not going well at all. They say that crisis reveals a lot about what we believe and what we value, and I believe that a true mark of spiritual maturity is when we make the decision to go to God and worship Him when things go south.
I am walking through the “Get Used to Different Student Guide” by the Chosen Team as a morning devotional and although it is geared toward youthful new believers and fans of the show, I have been really blessed by the material in it as it encourages an authentic Christian faith and spiritual practices to draw you closer to God.
Today’s entry highlighted the Chosen’s Season 2 narrative of Nathaniel and how he became a disciple of Jesus Christ after his dreams were dashed to pieces. In the show’s narrative (utilizing artistic license) in his suffering, Nathaniel cried out and worshiped the Lord under a fig tree when he had an experience of the Lord’s presence, an experience that Jesus later mentions causing Nathaniel to declare him to be the son of God and the king of Israel. The Biblical narrative in
John 1:48-51 (NASB) tells us
48 Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”
50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
51 And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Jesus’s promise to see “greater things” and more wonders is something that all of his disciples can experience and often the gateway is worship.
The Chosen team writes about Nathaniel and gives us an invitation to worship as follows:
“Worship puts God where He belongs – at the center of your attention. When Nathaniel said, “The Lord is One,” he was reminding himself of who God is. He was posturing his heart and mind in reverence. He was redirecting his focus back to God and praising in spite of his grief- because that’s what God deserves.
Worship moves us to confession -because focusing on God helps us see who we really are. It reveals our motivation and exposes our hearts… which means it helps us deal more honestly with God… which means our worship isn’t always controlled or contained or even pretty.
Under the fig tree, Nathaniel’s praise led to it this honest and messy plea: “Do not hide your face from me. Do you see me…?” He was raw and real and wounded and needy; worship has a way of bringing those things to the surface. But it also has a way of reminding us that God is bigger than our problems, and that He welcomes us, just as we are.
And so, worship draws us close to the one who cares for us most, which makes it an incredibly important spiritual exercise, whether it takes place with a group of people or when you’re alone in your room. It doesn’t have to be complicated or organized; simple statements like the one from the Lord’s prayer are worship:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”
When you shift your focus from yourself to God, you’re climbing off that exhausting hamster wheel of self-worth and self-help and self-medication. You’re declaring God and God alone deserves to be at the center of your life. You’re confessing His worthiness to be praised in spite of hard circumstances. You’re admitting your inability to navigate hard things without His help.
Worship doesn’t require a song, though you’re welcome to sing. It doesn’t demand a psalm, though scripture is full of words we sometimes don’t have. Bottom line: your worship doesn’t have to be anything other than simply turning your heart toward heaven and declaring:
“You are God and I am not.”
Pray
You are God and I am not. You are the One who created the universe, who created everything, who created me- and I am not. You are the One who holds the entire world together- and I am not. You, Heavenly Father, are high above it all. Help me turn my heart toward you today.”
(Get Used to Different Student Guide, The Chosen Team: Covington, Bennett, Hershberger, Claypool, Mallerna, Campbell, & Murdock, 2024).
Amen,
As we draw into the last day of the work week, and the first weekend of Summer 2024, it is my prayer that all of us will enjoy our lives and take some time this weekend to worship the Lord and to thank Him for all He has given us, to humbly acknowledge that He is God and we are not.
It’s okay to let the Lord lead your life. You will find that the pathway to peace and joy is through a close relationship with God and faith in Jesus Christ. You need merely seek His presence and surrender to His purpose for your life to find it.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Divorce.
Matthew 5:23-24 (NLT2)
23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,
24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
Today’s verses are the second of three passages of scripture that fall under the ninth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Divorce.
9. The believing spouse must seek reconciliation when trouble arises.
Today’s verses declare the importance of resolving conflicts in our relationships. Jesus tells us to stop worshipping if someone has something against us – disharmony caused by anger, unforgiveness, or bitterness is that serious – rather than worship God, we should get rid of those negative feelings and, as much as it depends on us, make peace in our relationships first. God doesn’t want us coming before him to worship with malice or worry in our hearts. He wants all of our attention, and He wants us to be at peace.
So how much more important is it to be reconciled to our spouses! Husband and wife are one flesh and when we are in conflict with one another we could be said to be sinning against our own body. God didn’t create marriage for conflict and contention. The marriage is supposed to be the holy union where man and woman are to declare their commitment and love for one another and to have God at the center of their relationship. So, as much as it depends on you, make peace in your marriages and love one another as your spiritual service to one another and to the Lord.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.
MORNING READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 8
“Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.”
– 1 Corinthians 8:1
The power of this spiritual truth is evidenced by its practical outworking. The apostle tells us that their “love suffers long and is kind; … is not puffed up; … thinks no evil” (1 Cor. 13:4-5).
O, then to excel in this essential. Its secret lies in the work of the Holy Spirit, for He sheds abroad the love of God in the heart of the believer. Moreover, the fruit of the Spirit is love. O, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, moment by moment, day by day.
Then, and only then, shall my ministry be edifying, building up believers in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The love of Christ compels us to live, teach, and preach Christ in love.
Holy Spirit, fill me with the love of Jesus Christ.[1]
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“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
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