Refuge in God

Psalm 118 is fast becoming a favorite of mine. With so many to choose from, that’s a bit like saying that I like one brand of chocolate over another. Chocolate just tastes good, period. Psalms refresh the soul, period. Well, that might be too simple. What I mean is that the Psalms give us a great look at how God’s people viewed Him then, how they reverently worshiped Him, how we can go to Him in good times and bad, and how we can tell Him anything, ANYTHING (since He already knows it anyway). He’s the same God today as He was then, and we can certainly use the Psalms to better understand Him, and only good in our lives can come from knowing Him better.

We know the familiar “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His lovingkindness (mercy) is everlasting (endures forever).” And a few days ago I touched on the familiar verse “This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” And rather than just take the highlight verses, I love to see what surrounds them in the text. New Testament authors quote this psalm on several occasions, too.

David writes several psalms in the midst of trouble, struggle, and strife. We know very well that David had an amazing heart for God. Just as well, we know he also sinned and well, acted human, too. For most believers, seeking God seriously results from “push coming to shove”. David went to God when things got tough, sure, and he also went to Him in times of rest, peace, and comfort.

This psalm seems to capture a little of each of that, though primarily, David is recalling crying out to God in distress, and God hearing and answering Him. His question “What can man do to me?” is so profound, so very true, and such thinking should be foundational in the Christian’s life. The question follows the statement “The LORD is for me; I will not fear.” Together, they sum up the source of our daily support. There is nothing or nobody stronger than God. What do I really have to fear?

But today, I was kind of “camped” in verses 7 – 9. I realize David was surrounded militarily as various times, and these verses lead into that. And he is also looking back on the situation, and is able to generalize a bit more. Keep in mind that some of David’s key enemies referred to in some psalms are not just Philistines, but rather those in his inner circle of friends or even family. Being rejected and attacked by such people certainly caused much distress in David’s life.

David knows where to turn for help and never-failing assurance in such times. He goes to the Lord, of course. He looked around him and saw people helping him; he credits God for putting those people around him as a way of showing that the Lord was “for him” (verse 7a). The verse is completed with mention of those who hated David, and how he looked on them “in satisfaction”, or some translations use “in triumph”. David knew that he could look on people who hated him in a way that reflected satisfaction, a sort of inner peace, because God had already given him people to help him. He could not dwell on those who hated him, as he could personally do nothing to change the hatred.

So often are we presented with a choice: take refuge in God, or trust man. Before we make it seem like a simple choice, we just saw how God gave people to David, to let him know that He was for him, and He can do that for us, too. We have no reason to think otherwise. But if I take God out of the equation, I am left to trust and follow man, or people, and it is no surprise that God directs us to Him, where we can find refuge, safety in the midst of storms and trouble we like to call “life”. Same goes for rulers (verse 9 uses “princes”). We have leaders, rulers, and even human government was instituted by God. And still I must constantly verify how such rulers want to steer society away from God, and I am not to choose obeying them over obeying God. Again recall “…better to take refuge in the Lord.”

SO WHAT?

So, we may not have enemies wanting to actually kill us, as with David. Yet we probably all know people we trusted, family members, friends, other Christians and their testimonies, who have positioned themselves against us, such that it could be hatred toward us.

So will I respond in a way that reflects the King, or in a way that will satisfy my flesh, my own desires? Or will I trust in God, find refuge in Him, and look on those who hate me in satisfaction, knowing that there are those who God has put around me, to show how He is for me. David was able to take satisfaction in that reality.

So, let’s keep reading Psalm 118, and keep pulling some great lessons from that sacred text. And let’s be careful in how we treat others, so they do not think we show hatred toward them. We always have to check our own motives first.

Be Glad In It!

“I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
This is the LORD'S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.” Psalm 118: 21-23


There is something so very comforting about the psalms, and there are times when you read through a few, and something catches your eye, maybe like it never did before. I personally am amazed at the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the Savior. Naturally, the Old Testament believer was looking ahead, looking forward to God’s promise of redemption in a messiah.

I read a psalm like 118, and find it easy to miss the mention of the chief cornerstone, and my mind immediately goes to the gospels and New Testament epistles, as Christ was the central theme to the apostles and prophets in the early church, properly so. Matthew and Mark quote this psalm, as does Luke in his gospel and in Acts. Paul quotes it to the Ephesians, and Peter recalls it in his first epistle. I can’t say that I have looked back to see where it was in the Old Testament before today. I’ve seen in my Bible where the quote was indeed Old Testament, but that was pretty much where I left it.

So I went back to read Psalm 118 today; it begins and ends with the exhortation to give thanks to the Lord, citing His lovingkindness to us. That lovingkindness is everlasting, eternal, forever. And yet, that lovingkindness can only be enjoyed by believers who have recognized the chief cornerstone and accepted Christ for who He is and what He has done for us.

Naturally, we celebrated this yesterday, and hopefully throughout the Easter season. The church is built upon this chief cornerstone. When building using masonry techniques, other stones are placed in reference to this cornerstone. Peter appropriately calls believers “living stones”. When we chose to accept Christ, our work for the Lord was to be in reference to Christ. And just like Jesus, rejected by many as that cornerstone, so, too will we be rejected and hated by those who refuse to accept what Christ has done for us and what He can do for them, by sharing His everlasting lovingkindness.

So for those who enjoy fellowship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, read on in the psalm beyond verse 23. Go to the next verse, often quoted by itself to start the day, or a worship service, or some other setting in need of an appropriate opening line:

“This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Indeed! AMEN!

Good (Great) Friday

So we probably spelt well last night, and we woke up to what was likely a normal morning. Imagine being the average Jesus-follower in Jerusalem back in A.D. 30.

Over the course of the night, Jesus was betrayed, his friends were with Him until He was arrested, He had asked them to pray with Him and keep watch, and they could not stay awake. Jesus underwent two illegal trials, and the spiritual leaders of Israel had been plotting murder and engineered the false trials.

Peter tried to stay close enough to the action to stay in touch with what was going on, yet we know how he dealt with being asked if he was a follower of this Jesus of Nazareth. When that rooster crowed, Peter’s heart ached. So did Jesus’.

So with a crown of piercing thorns upon Head, having been scourged to near-death, He carried His cross until He could no longer physically do so, and the guards eagerly found some help for him from a man in the crowd.

And then, at what would be 9:00 a.m., they crucified the Savior. Let’s take time to really remember that today, even if not at 9:00. At noon, the skies went dark. By 3:00, it was clear that Jesus was all alone, and He died. These times can serve as great tools of memory today.

God then ripped the massive temple curtain in two, from top to bottom (humanly impossible), and earthquake struck, and some dead believers were brought to life (to appear after the Resurrection).

Some men, namely Joseph and Nicodemus, helped take His body down from the cross and they buried Him. And there the Savior lay, in the tomb, His sacrificial work complete, redemption soon to appear.

Let’s really stop for a bit today, sometime, just for a while, and allow the truth and reality of the cross to sink in, to humble us, and to take notice of how much God must love us. Not only did he endure the physical cross for us, but also He was willingly forsaken by the Father in order to carry and cover the world’s sin.

Let’s pray for an opportunity today to share this with an unbeliever. God loves him or her, too.

Thursday of Passion Week

Thursday of Passion Week begins the very familiar happenings of the end of the earthly ministry of Jesus. As I read through Matthew 26 today, I found it particularly unnerving that the day before, Judas made his deal with the chief priests, and then here at the Last Supper, he asks Jesus if he is the one who will betray Him. For whatever reason, I never really focused on that aspect of this timeline, and I am glad Matthew recorded it. Not that I need to be more angry toward Judas, but it must have saddened Jesus more to know what was happening, to state to His disciples what would happen, and then have Judas pointedly ask Jesus if it is him. That kind of thing just adds to the grief I feel for Jesus. I suppose only God could deal with knowing everything and still go to the cross for all sinners.

Sometimes the hardest lessons learned turn out to be the best. Jesus institutes the Last Supper, using the Passover meal, no less, to clearly signify the Passover Lamb pointing to the Christ. And the lesson He shares through this last meal with His inner circle of friends is for them to always remember. It was a clear theme in the Old Testament. The Jews were to wear tassels and use phylacteries to not show off, but to remember God, and remember His commands. Jesus says, do this in remembrance of me. Paul in 1 Corinthians rehearses Luke’s account of this meal, and adds the point of our call of proclaiming Christ’s death until He returns. “Remember” is the message I hear.

So when Jesus tells these men that they will each abandon Him before the next day is over (“fall away from Him”), each of them vehemently denies it, Peter being the most vocal. We know Peter’s story, yet before they leave the Garden of Gethsemane, all will have fled, every one of them. So of course, Jesus was right, that’s not the point. Each of them will later remember what He said, that it was true, that when push came to shove they “forgot” Him, in less than a day’s time.

So what would they do with the lesson, wallow in guilt and selfishness (Judas), or change the world? Tradition tells us much about the disciples, the first apostles, and how they each, except for John who was exiled, were martyred for their faith. When the opportunities again presented themselves to deny or stand for Christ, they upheld their faith and stood their ground on the truth to the very end of their lives on earth.

Jesus, as human as He was, prays for His task to be accomplished in another way, and yet remains in complete submission to the Father. “Remember”, He did this for all of us. He knew the agony that was now a day closer to reality. Luke records Jesus sweating drops of blood, which I believe was truly hematohidrosis, whereby one’s stress is at such a high level that capillaries burst, causing blood to exit the body through the pores with sweat.

He knew His friends would desert Him, and He planned all along to pass His ministry to them with the help of His own Spirit. “Remember”, we, too are part of that master plan of God. It may be difficult to really be in the moment with Christ, since we were not physically there. Yet if we believe in what He did, then we can just as readily remember.

SO WHAT?

So when we talk to friends and family through this Easter time, and beyond, let’s remember Jesus, remember what He did, and let’s remember what He said, He is coming again for those who will now accept Him.

So, maybe we should pray tonight a bit longer, a bit harder, in thankfulness to Him, and somehow try to “keep watch” with Him, perhaps identifying a bit better with what He would have been going through this vey night not quite 2000 years ago.

So, let’s let others see that our very lives show that we do indeed remember Him.

Wednesday of Passion Week

It would appear that the betrayal of Jesus by Judas takes place on Wednesday of Passion Week. This is when he made contact with the chief priests to make a deal for turning Him over to them. In supernatural fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 11:12, the agreed upon price is 30 pieces of silver. In today’s terms, that might be around $950. During that time, this would have been sufficient to buy a small farm, so the deal was a significant bribe.

From that point on, Judas began to look for a good time to actually put the deal in motion, to find a time to actually put Jesus in the hands of those seeking to kill Him.

Otherwise, Wednesday of this week seems to be quiet, or at least with less activity on display, as least from the viewpoint of Scripture. We might assume more teaching went on in Jerusalem, either publically or in a smaller setting of just disciples. People would be busy about making final plans for the upcoming Passover, so the city would have still been a very active place.

Perhaps Jesus retreated to rest and pray, maybe even staying in Bethany with his close friends. We can probably think of times when something is coming up that we just don’t want to deal with, and during long periods of inactivity, our thoughts can run wild with anxiety, and so w find it necessary to busy ourselves to keep our minds occupied with other things. This does not appear to be so with Jesus, though stating this is clearly an assumption based on little or no evidence from the Gospel accounts. Yet the pattern of His life was such that he was known to retreat to prayer, for rest, for some quiet time, and knowing what was ahead, I would be comfortable believing that He simply took Wednesday to meditate on His task, to look back on His earthly ministry, ready to sum it up over the next few days.

The centurions who will be key players are oblivious at this point to what they will be doing in two days. Pilate is enjoying the swell of commerce and taxes into the city, unaware that he will soon be center stage with the Christ. Judas has his money in hand; the chief priests see the realization of their years of hoping this time would come. The stage is set for what you and I desperately needed and could get no other way.

Tuesday of Passion Week

Tuesday of Passion Week appears to be the most action-packed from Jesus’ teaching point of view. The day seems to span some of Matthew 21 to 26, perhaps with Judas’ betrayal marking the next day. Nearly twenty-five percent of this Gospel narrative takes place this day. We should probably take good notice.

There is so much teaching in these chapters, it would be reckless to condense much in a single entry here. But read through the Tuesday events, the parables, the “discussions” Jesus has with His opposition, and then take note of the replies Jesus gives, and the questions He asks that are so simply rebuking in and of themselves.

“Did you never read in the Scriptures…?”
“Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?”
“You are mistaken, and not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.”
“Do you not see all these things?”

All in a day’s teaching, He clearly sums up the commandments into two: Love God, love each other. He exposes the Pharisees for the hypocrites they are, and He does so with eight “woes”, the sound you’d hear from funeral mourners. “You do the easy stuff just to look good”, He basically tells them (my loose paraphrase). He calls them sepulchers, little devils, vipers. And for these same people will He ask “Father forgive them…”

He teaches on the universality of salvation, and does so in a way that is clear to a Jewish audience, based on His word choice in “many”. In using the word “many” in the Semitic sense of “all”, Christ showed that the scope of His death and the new covenant extended beyond Israel to all peoples. (Robert L. Saucy, “The Church in God’s Program”)

He masterfully quotes Scripture, which to Him would have been what we know as the Old Testament. And then in His primary teaching on the end times, in Matthew 24 and 25, He replies to the question of “…when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” He answers the “sign” portion, and never the “when”. If He would be pressed on the “when”, He’d point to 24:42, “Therefore, be on the alert for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” Interesting to see that the Olivet Discourse takes place as He is leaving the temple, and His disciples are eager to point out the grandeur of the temple, so he leads them to discuss more important matters.

And in chapter 25, we see that if we wait to get ready, we will be too late, as depicted in the parable of the ten virgins. Again in verse 13, “Be on the alert…” I think Peter tells us that in his epistle, too. He was paying attention here.

Compassionate to listen and then to teach
Angry at unrighteousness and hypocrisy
A keeper of promises
Mindful of and faithful to Scripture, always applying the Word

OK, Jesus was here on earth and was still God, and yet these principles are ones that we, with His Spirit in us, can emulate, if we are willing to give it the effort required.

SO WHAT? So my question that I wrote to myself in my margin in Matthew 25, next to the parable of the talents, is this: What are we doing with our time here?

Passion Monday

Today is Monday of Passion Week. This is an excellent time to try to focus on and get in touch with what took place that week, culminating in the death of the Savior. Most of the next few days will be from the book of Matthew, starting around chapter 22, with references elsewhere for clarity. I find it helpful to look at the “normal” everyday life aspects of this time in history. There is much theological in the latter parts of the Gospels, as Jesus does a huge amount of teaching in just a few days of this week. And yet, it also helps to humanize the events that took place; it may be the only was we can really attempt to get in touch with the sacrifice that was made on our behalf.

Jesus has entered the city of Jerusalem the day prior, emphatically “cleansed” the temple, and retreated to Bethany for the evening. Bethany was where Lazarus (once dead, now raised) and Mary and Martha lived. Bethany was around two miles from Jerusalem (John 11:18), and this was a nightly retreat for Jesus and His disciples. With Passover that week, there would really have been no place to stay in Jerusalem anyway.

On Monday, on their way into the city, Jesus encounters the fig tree, a very familiar account. He displays His humanity in that He is hungry, and perhaps even gets frustrated. Taking advantage of a situation to instruct, He curses the tree and it withers by that evening. I believe His point was not just to point out to these men that He was also divine, but also to use the situation to make a bigger statement on the state of Israel, supposedly “God’s people”. The appearance was everything pointing to fruit-bearing, fooling the casual onlooker. But Jesus was intimate, and got up close and personal with the tree to see that it had no fruit, nothing redeeming, nothing refreshing, and His disciples could recall the lesson when they see and hear Him debating with the religious elite in Jerusalem. Jesus will die in just four days, and here He takes time to teach on true faith, obviously modeling the example.

When He teaches, his authority is challenged by the Pharisees and Sadducees. Rather than responding directly, He forces an answer to the question of John’s baptism, that is, what is the significance of John the Baptist’s ministry? Is it from God, or man? They know they cannot answer correctly, and so they choose to boldly proclaim “We don’t know.” Exactly! And thus, they should have listened and learned. Easy for us to say now, I get that.

Lastly here, Jesus uses a parable of two sons. Both hear the call to repent. One says he will and then does not, the other says he will not and then does. ‘Who is right?’ is the question. And it is the lowliest of sinners who understand and who will repent. The religious leaders only gave the message lip service, if that.

SO WHAT?

So, who could blame Jesus if He had other thoughts on His mind this week, that is, thoughts besides His own death? But He cared enough for people to teach them, right to the last moment He could. His perseverance is obviously enviable.

So, how can I better take advantage of opportunities to teach, to share what I know about our Savior?

Choices

The battle rages on between what God says and what the world says; what God wants, and what I want. The first nine chapters of Proverbs vividly shows this picture, God vs man, wisdom vs foolishness. And there is only one winner.

I really need to count how many times in these chapters the stress is on “listen”, or “pay attention”, or “remember”, and so on. There is a danger in believing we are living wisely and then putting our lives on auto-pilot. Temptation, the lure of the world, the attractive side of earthly living is always there, literally lurking while we live life.

Words of wisdom, God’s Word that is, really does need to be written on the “tablets of our heart”. We have those words in print, in our Bibles, on our computers, on all sorts of devices, and all of that makes no difference in the lives of believers if those words are not “on our hearts”. Do those words govern how we live our lives? Do those words even factor in when we have decisions to make. It is clear that when we sin, we have purposefully chosen to set those words aside. And when we have aimed to please God, then we have chosen to heed the advice of those words.

So we go about our daily lives. If we are not careful, we will walk about just like the young man in Proverbs 7. He is naïve, lacking sense. He is walking too close to where he should not be, basically, wrong place, wrong time of day. In verse 10, “behold” does not mean “suddenly”, but more accurately it means “meanwhile”. The adulteress is out there, always active, and she offers what seems to be so wonderful, what doesn’t seem to come from anywhere else. She looks and smells better than anything else. She talks like no other, almost too good to be true, and for good reason. It is.

For this man to give in to these desires is to willingly turn from the wise teachings available to him. His naïveté is not without excuse. We have already seen from earlier chapters that wisdom calls loudly, makes herself available and noticeable. It is not hard to see the wise choice, it literally “sits at the gates” for anyone passing by to see and listen to.

But so often we take the easy road, we take the choice that feels good NOW, and in the end, we find ourselves further away from the path we know we should be on. This adulteress and her house leads to death. When this young man figures that out, it is too late. And such is the teaching lesson for us. Rather than wait to find ourselves mired in sin, let’s be proactive, and avoid those sinful places altogether. The sinful places will always be there. Those sinful appetites, regardless of what they are, will remain with us while we are here. So will God’s Word. We have the cure for our sinful flesh, and that is the power of God’s Holy Spirit. If we will only listen, He’ll keep us in His Word and make available to us His teaching, His wisdom, His guide for us to live skillfully for Him.

The choice is ours. Wisdom is out there, clearly visible. Let’s pursue her!

WISDOM - Prov. 1-5

The book of Proverbs and wisdom go hand-in-hand, as lessons for “skillful living” are handed down from the Sage to the hearer, from dad (Solomon) to son. Vivid pictures are painted concerning the comparison of wisdom and folly/foolishness. The first 9 chapters consist of this comparison, followed by 23 more chapters of specifics, one-liners, and the reader must always be careful to use entire verses when considering Proverbs for life lessons.

The first five chapters are the topic today, and my thoughts are very much in summary format, including some specific applications and general thoughts on a Christian’s effort to live wisely for God.

Indeed, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and fools despise wisdom, so we see a close link between knowledge and wisdom. We are to be careful, though, in that knowledge alone can certainly puff us up (1 Cor. 8:1). This leaves me to understand that to know how to live wisely for God, we must know who He is. Once we get that squared away, then it becomes evident that the wise life is the best response to Him and what He has done. So we have a choice to make in how we live.

We might think that God makes it hard to figure this out. On the contrary, in Prov. 1, verses 20ff, wisdom is in clear sight, easily heard at the head of the street above the noise, “she” is at the city gate, where anyone passing by will see and hear the call to the wise life. Some simply refuse that call.

In chapter 2, along with several other places, the repetition of the pleas to “hear”, “listen”, “receive my words”, “pay attention” and so on are so evident. The decision to life with God in mind, on purpose, is not just a given in the believer’s life. We see wisdom and foolishness on display regularly, and need to choose between them. The goal is to make more and more wise choices out of our conscious repetition, “good habits” if you will, but never out of rote memory, but rather from a willful obedience to God. The reason in chapter 2 is clear; the wise life is the secure life. We are to eagerly seek that life.

The familiar verses in chapter 3, where we are to lean not on our own understanding, are often left open without answering the question “why?” That answers follows in verse 8. Fearing the Lord and turning away (an active process) results in healing of all that hurts, refreshment to an otherwise starving existence. To the ancient reader, at times the act of lying down could be considered dangerous, because it left one vulnerable. God invites us to lie down in sweet sleep, resting in the security that life in Him really brings.

More actions are illustrated in chapter 4, to name a few: avoid the path of the wicked; put away a deceitful mouth; give attention to the words of instruction; keep your gaze straight ahead. A person living a God-filled life ignores the distractions of the lost life, and makes a conscious decision and effort to keep from the ungodly behaviors, and engage in the godly ones. That might seem general in nature, and the point is to include and involve God in all of our decisions.

Finally, take a good look at the trappings of immorality in chapter 5. What seems enticing, attractive, and almost “too good to be true” are hallmarks of temptation and options that lead to ruin in the Christian life. This “adulteress” is directly connected to death and destruction, and she does not for an instant seek the path that the righteous are to be on. That path, back a chapter, gets brighter and brighter as one makes more and more righteous decisions.

Yet we do not accidentally wander into temptation and sin. No, those elements are actively around us, on display, like candy on the store shelf for the simple buying. The skill in the life lived for God is developed with a reliance on Him and His Word for guidance. Join me in the seeking of His wisdom, and pray with me for the strength and faith to follow what He says.

WORSHIP

This entry is actually a brief summary of a portion of some recent study into the meaning of “worship”. God uses the word in the Bible, so we may as well use it, too. I was asked to define worship, and then follow up with several ramifications of that definition. The details of those ramifications, such as some very specific particulars, are not the subject here. But rather, as our family has recently delved into a fresh look at theology, that is, reading His Word and asking the question “Who is God?”, we naturally come to the topic of worship.

The words used for worship in the original languages show up in various forms and with various applications, and always with one thing in common running in the background: understanding who God is.

In the Old Testament, worship would be shown by bowing down, with an intrinsic sense of terror and awe, and even an attitude of servitude or service. Further, in the Old Testament, worship of God always carried an awareness of a holy God in the temple or synagogue, and such worship was often accompanied by praise.

The New Testament saw the service mentality carried forward, and also shows people worshiping by falling down, as in quickly bowing. A believer’s relationship to God was worshipfully shown with baptism, the Lord’s Supper and prayer, and instead of a temple or synagogue, worship was to be in spirit and truth (John 4). So how could I sum up a finite definition of the worship of our infinite God?

Worship as I see it corporately or individually publically, either way on display for the lost world around us, is this: external action(s) of internal attitude(s). It is the understanding of God’s very real presence and our expression of how we approach Him as believers. We should express our faith in giving homage (reverence, awe, honor) to our sovereign God, recognizing that He desires obedience over sacrifice. Having said that, each one of us is to pursue a very sacrificial life to live for Him, very much an external expression of an internal attitude toward Him.

Think of it perhaps this way, I can have the very best internal attitude toward this holy God we serve. If it never shows up on the outside, by way of “the externals”, how will I ever reflect the glory that is God’s? On the contrary, if the externals are all lined up, and inwardly I have a miserable attitude toward God, than nothing can be considered worship. You see, the two are related, with no way around it. Internal attitude counts for everything to God (God does look on hearts), and how we express that on the outside tells those around us, with whom we worship corporately, with whom we work and play, with whom we drive on the stressful highway, and on and on the Christian life goes, just how we really feel about God. Worship should show how we feel about Him, not how we feel about ourselves.

It is also frightening, maybe humbling is a better word, to realize that the same words for worshiping God are used in talking about worshiping idols, false gods, those “things” we allow to take the place of God in our lives.

Ouch, all of this then means that even personal relationships matter, and then it most certainly touches how we manage God’s divine ordinations: the church, the family, and even our human government. We tend to get hung up on worship topics like style, format, attire and other preferences. I believe those matter, too, and those choices are left to individuals. How closely we see the internal and external connecting will affect not only how we look, but more importantly, how we live.

Presenting our lives as living sacrifices, as in Romans 12:1-2, certainly sets the stage for what lies beyond salvation. Namely, life is worship in motion, when life is lived for God. We are to understand who God is, establish an inner attitude toward Him, and then determine how we will show it to Him, to those we worship with, and to all those we encounter during our brief stay here.

1 Peter 1:16 connects the New Testament to the Old very well. God is holy, and He tells us to be as well. Now, let’s go fill in the details.