“Whenever this happens, my heart stops— I’m stunned, I can’t catch my breath. Listen to it! Listen to his thunder, the rolling, rumbling thunder of his voice. He lets loose his lightnings from horizon to horizon, lighting up the earth from pole to pole. In their wake, the thunder echoes his voice, powerful and majestic. He lets out all the stops, he holds nothing back. No one can mistake that voice— His word thundering so wondrously, his mighty acts staggering our understanding. He orders the snow, ‘Blanket the earth!’ and the rain, ‘Soak the whole countryside!’ No one can escape the weather—it’s there. And no one can escape from God. Wild animals take shelter, crawling into their dens, When blizzards roar out of the north and freezing rain crusts the land. It’s God’s breath that forms the ice, it’s God’s breath that turns lakes and rivers solid. And yes, it’s God who fills clouds with rainwater and hurls lightning from them every which way. He puts them through their paces—first this way, then that— commands them to do what he says all over the world. Whether for discipline or grace or extravagant love, he makes sure they make their mark.

Job 37:1-13

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God – which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.  Rom. 12:1-2

I was listening to an interview of a young person the other day. I   don’t remember the show, but they were being asked why they were  attending the church they were at. The only thing that I remember the young person saying was how much the passion of the congregation attracted her. It was one of those times when everything in your mind is pushed away and that one truth just knocks you right between the eyes. I thought of the book by John Piper, “Let the Nations be Glad”, in which he stated that missions exists because worship does not. How can I live a life of worship? As I was thinking about that today, I thought about the guitar lessons I would be teaching tonight and how these lessons will impact my students. Then it hit me, my worship lifestyle must be a learned behavior. When I give a lesson, the goal is to play. No matter how much the player knows, playing is the desired activity. With each lesson, the player understands more, has improved on the first lessons, and can attempt more difficult things. With all this study, the outcome is playing. The student continues to play.

As a Christian, my goal is to worship. We were created to worship God and bring Him glory. All of life’s lessons prepare us to worship. As a student of God, I study His word, I pray, and I have fellowship with other believers. All of this is used by God to enable my worship. We should not study for the sake of study or to obtain knowledge for its own end. Our study should sharpen our focus on God and who He is, and open our eyes to ourselves and who we are. As we recognize God and His majesty we can not help but stand in awe and worship. Jesus said, “..If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me…”. I commit to making a more concerted effort in living all of my life to bring Glory to my God. As I worship Him, my faith grows, my love for Him grows, and my desire to accomplish His will in my life grows. As I see God work in my life, I worship Him more and the cycle continues.

I believe we need to demonstrate a true passion for our Saviour. I don’t mean a bunch of contrived actions or planned manipulations of peoples emotions, but an honest expression of a life sold out to our loving Lord. That can only happen as we spend time getting to know our Saviour. I confess, that way to much time goes by between my conversational times with God. It is a struggle to shut out the noise and distraction of the world and take time to invest in our relationship with God, but that is what we are called to do as believers. We were created to glorify God, and we can only do that to our level of understanding. Let us not wait until we have a certain level before we worship. Just as the musician plays and uses his study to improve, let us take on the same mindset and worship, using our study to have a greater understanding of God to fuel a life lived to worship God in Spirit and Truth.

Father, consume me, Fill me with a passion to know You so that my life honors Your son.