Little Light or Spotlight?

Living around Los Angeles for awhile taught me a thing or two about spotlights. Some nights we would see a spotlight in the sky and drive to try to find its source. Of course, that was the whole purpose; to bring people to the newest happening thing. It really lit up the night sky and made me very curious. It got my attention.

A spotlight, however, is not a new invention. Believe it or not, it has been around for an eternity. The original is called the “doxa theou” ( Glory of God.) “Doxa” is the “glory” part and “theou” is the “of God” part.

The” doxa theou” (Glory of God) lights up heaven (Revalation 21:23) so there is no need for any other light source. The “doxa theou” (Glory of God) lit up the night at the announcment of Christ’s earthly birth.

Even in the Old Testament (I know it’s in Hebrew) the “uchevoud Yahweh,” later translated “doxa theou” then translated for us as “glory of God” covered the tabernacle of the Children of Isreal as they were led by God to the Promised Land. Exodus 40:31.

The Glory of God has always been an attention getter that led people to the source of a great God.

Moses caught a little “doxa theou” when talking with God on the mountain. His face was so bright that he had to wear a veil so he wouldn’t blind the people.

But in II Corinthians 3:18 Paul said that we Christians, “with unveiled faces, reflect the glory of God and are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory which comes from the Spirit of the Lord.” Our light should be increasing in strength becoming brighter and brighter as the Holy Spirit teaches us. We should be moving from “this little light of mine. I’m gonna let it shine” to “This spotlight of mine. I'm gonna let it reach the darkest corners and draw people to my God, the greatest thing that ever happened”

If you are still a little light maybe you should increase your wattage.

The glory of God in you. Is it a little light or a spotlight?

Happy Interruptions

I like to make a plan and follow the plan. I was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. Our motto was “Always be Prepared” and I still think it’s a fine slogan.  I even plan the ad lib parts of songs I’m supposed to sing. Goals are good. An organized house is a happy home. I’m a type A with a plus. Anything that disturbs my well-ordered life will throw me into a tizzy.  Interruptions are just that, incidents that break the flow of a structured schedule.  I don’t like interruptions. No, no, no.

So, when in the Bible, James says in chapter 4 verses13-15, (my translation) “Come on now you planners, you type A plussers. You think you’ve got your whole year planned and written in ink on your calendars.  You think you have a handle on your finances and your future. But you can’t predict the future. You don’t actually know what is going to happen tomorrow, or even the next minute. You are not “all that.” Instead, you need to make room in your schedule for God’s interruptions. You should look forward to the pauses in your plan that come from God’s plan.”

With James up in my face, I just want to say, “Dude, you talkin to me? You talkin to me,” while brandishing a clenched fist.  And, of course, he is and so is the conviction of the Holy Spirit. God wants me to give Him room to change my plans. By holding my calendar so tightly, I’m not tuned into His grand design. I’m complaining about interruptions that loosens my control and not submitting to His control over my life. My inability to be flexible and welcome these interruptions is just plain old bad. James calls it arrogance about being large and in charge and that this is evil in verse 16.

Hey, James has a point. All interruptions to man-made plans are for our good if we love our Lord. (Romans 8:28) And the best and happiest interruption is going to be when Jesus returns to gather us to be with Him. So, I’m going to make my little plans and then start looking for God’s big plans to change my directions. I’m going to actually look for interruptions that leave me less than prepared.  Wow, that doesn’t sound like a former Girl Scout. And I’m really going to happily drop everything I’m doing when Jesus says, “Tah-tada-dah (that’s the trumpet,) I’m here to permanently interrupt and take you with Me.”

Now that will be a happy interruption!

Mostly All The Time

I have a little problem with superlatives. I use them all the time. See? I’ll stick in an “always,” a “never,” and anything with an “est” at the end in my conversations. I like to say that I got it honestly. My mom was a “You always...I never…This is the most, best, worst, favorite….” kind of person. I really liked it when she said that I was the whatever “est” of all of her children. Of course she was also saying the same thing to my brother and sister. Well, because of this background, I sat up and really listened when our pastor began his sermon and it turned into a superlative fest. It seems that God is the most superlative of all.

He was preaching from the passage in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. God told His people, “Listen up! I am not just God, I am the only God. You must love me with all your entire heart, all your entire soul, and all your entire mind. This love is a commandment with no exceptions. This love is to be so much a part of you that you always continually teach it to your family everywhere you are, with everything you do and, everywhere you go. Love for Me should be the uppermost priority and the only thing that preoccupies your mind. Everyone that comes in contact with you should immediately recognize to whom you belong…Me.”

Wow, I was saying, “You go God!” until I suddenly realized He was talking to me too.

I must:

1.         Really realize who God is all the time. Vs. 4

2.        Really love God with everything all the time. Vs. 5

3.       Really have a relationship with God all the time. Vs. 6

4.       Really teach about God to my family all the time. Vs. 7

5.        Really build the kingdom of God all the time. Vs. 8

6.       Really show God to everyone around me all the time. Vs. 9 

I realized that I was a “mostly all the time” at my best and a “want to be all the time but not quite” at my worst. This kicked me in my superlative shins and brought me to my knees.

 

I don’t want to be a mostly all the time Christian.

How about you?

What Does Worship Look Like?

I attended a vocal workshop for the choir members led by our worship minister. We were discussing the techniques and physiology of our voices in conveying worship to the congregation. (Sounds like deep stuff, doesn’t it?) One of the attendees asked the question, “What does worship look like?” That question struck me in the heart. The Holy Spirit thumped me and made me ask myself, “Yes, what does it look like. And do I look like a worshipper?”

This question led me to the story of the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4. This woman enquired of Jesus the same thing. She asked, “When we worship, where do we go and what do we do?” In essence, what is worship supposed to look like? Jesus’ response is in verses 23 and 24. He said that we must worship God in spirit and in truth.

What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth? I mean, I want to do this but I have to understand what it means. What is this “in spirit” and “in truth” thing? Google was not really helpful. I would have had to wade through over 44 million entries. I would never even get to worship if I had to read all of that!

So I went to my favorite website: biblos.com (I’m a big fan.) The word “spirit” is the Greek word “pneumati.” If we lived back then and were Greek we’d better understand the word contextually. The New Testament writers used this exact word 92 times and there was an understanding of its meaning by those that heard. The Greeks understood that this word means: breath, the thing that gives us life. If we put “Holy” in front of the word “Spirit” it becomes “the one who gives our souls life.” So our spirit is the vital part of us that, at the point of our belief in Christ, was made alive through the Holy Life Giver (the Holy Spirit.) We think, feel, decide, and act either under His direction or not. A believer must (according to Jesus) think, feel, decide, and act under the Holy Spirit’s guidance to be a worshipper. It is the place of Godly action in us. So, any action under God’s power is worship. Everything we do with a God empowered attitude is worship. It’s all about the “tude.” Our hearts must have the right attitude to be in the worship zone. It might or might not be visible on the exterior but God doesn’t look there anyway. He’s looking at our hearts.

And now for the “in truth” part of these verses… In biblos.com I found that the Greek word is “aletheia” and means the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help me God (my translation.) It is the real you, not the worked up, put on, or made up you. It is your true relationship with God. It is the increasing reality of what you believe and know about God and His character and how you respond to this knowledge.

Now, back to the original question, “What does worship look like?”

If you –believe in Jesus and have accepted His salvation,

If you – want to submit and act according to the Holy Spirit’s intimate leading in your life,

If you – are a student of God’s word so that you can know more about and have a deeper relationship with God.

Then – look in a mirror.

That’s what worship looks like.