Unrestrained Worship

Today's passage comes from: 2nd Sam 6

David wanted to move the Ark of the Lord to his home in Jerusalem. The Lord blesses the home of whom the ark dwells in. He tries earlier in this passage, but the oxen stumble. A man tries to catch it and is struck down. This creates a huge problem.. how can he move the ark without the wrath of God striking down anyone who touches it?

His solution is continuous worship. Every six steps the carriers took, sacrifice a bull and fattened calf. The people were shouting for joy and sounding the trumpets. And David? He wore a linen ephod and danced wholeheartedly in front of the procession.

Michal, the wife promised to David, was furious at this outpouring of worship. She was mad that he danced in such a way in front of the slave girls. His response:

"It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

The key to this exchange is the end:

"And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death."

God was displeased with her. Remember, motherhood was an incredibly important thing for women back then. She totally got destroyed by God.

I want to highlight something that David says. "I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes".

How close are we to this type of worship? Can we honestly say that we want to become fools for God? I look back at all the great men in the Bible and know I would fall incredibly short. I pray that God can conform me to His image. I pray for the renewal of taking up the cross each day. My brothers, pray that you can worship our Creator, our Saviour unrestrainedly.

Dear Lord,

I ask that you can conform me to your Son's image. Please raise me up to be a devote follower in You, always worshiping You without abandon.

Amen.

Why? Why? Oh, Why?

Passage: Proverbs 3:1-12
My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.

Why must I suffer disappointment, sorrow, and tribulation? What have I done that God should send me trials? Is He displeased with me? These questions are constantly asked by God's dear children.

Much of this fear and questioning is due to our misunderstanding of God's dealings with His own. He has His good reasons. And one of those reasons is for our spiritual discipline. We should be far more afraid of being left alone than of God's chastening, for He wastes no time on worthless objects that give no promise of fruitfulness.

On the shores of Lake Michigan are great barren sand dunes that have never felt the point of a plow. But in the rich lowlands beyond them, the farmer is constantly cultivating the soil. The farmer knows what he is doing, so he keeps on breaking up the soil. The deeper the plow works and the more the sharp harrow, the more precious the crop will be when harvest time comes.

God's plow goes deep, but it is only that in the end we may forget the plowing and rejoice in the blessing of bearing much fruit for Him. "No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Heb. 12:11). - M.R. De Haan

When blades of distress cut deep in the soul,
Breaking up ground that was untouched before,
The Lord is preparing soil to bear fruit
Fit for the harvest to feed many more. —Hess

All sunshine and no rain make a desert.

- taken from "Our Daily Bread"

P.S. Sorry for the late post

Richard Chan

Fresh Encounters with Christ

That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that you your joy may be be full. 1 John 1:3-4

John the Apostle never ceased to marvel at the life-changing relationship he enjoyed with his Lord. It overwhelmed him to know that, at a particular time in history, the God of the universe chose to have fellowship with him, a simple fisherman. John was so overjoyed that he earnestly wanted to share his joy with others so they, too, might experience the same joy. A special fellowship or "bonding" developed between those who had personally encountered Christ as they rejoiced together at God's goodness to them.

Those around you desperately need to be encouraged by your latest encounter with Christ. Some have lost hope that they can experience the reality of God's presence in their lives. They don't need your philosophies or theological speculations. They don't need to hear your opinions on what they should do. They need to hear from someone who has just come from a personal , life-changing encounter with the living Christ. When you have had such an experience you will be like the apostle John, hardly able to contain yourself as you rush out to tell others of your amazing encounter with God. Your responsibility will not be to convince others of the reality of God, but simply to bear witness to what your Lord has said and done for you. The change in your life will be your greatest testimony of your relationship to Christ. There is nothing more appealing or convincing to a watching world than to hear the testimony of someone who has just been with Jesus.




taken from Experiencing God day by day, April 4

The Call

Today, I was in the office with Victor. We have both been involved in our different ministries, he at C4C, myself in RCCF. One thing we both could relate on... we were saddened by our late entry into service. He started to get more involved in C4C in his 2nd year. For myself, I wasn't really involved until the end of 2nd year and beginning of 3rd year.

Graduation is coming around the corner for both of us, I hardly consider us old or anything... yet I guess our one bit of parting wisdom would be:

Take the initiative in your spiritual life. God is calling you and will meet you more than halfway.

Cheers,
Richard

Nic at Nite

First of all i would like to apologize for not posting for a really long time

secondly,

this devo is taken from "Our Daily Bread"

Reading - John 3:1-21

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

According to the apostle John, Nicodemus “came to Jesus by night” (John 3:2). Was this Pharisee skulking under cover of darkness, embarrassed or ashamed that he, as one of the ruling class, was curious about Jesus?

Some have suggested that it was just cooler at night. Others have said that evening was a better time to ask Jesus questions because it was quieter and there were fewer distractions.

We really don’t know the reason Nicodemus went to Jesus at night, but John seemed determined to make a point of that specific fact. Every time he mentioned Nicodemus, he identified him by saying something like: “You know who I’m talking about—the guy who came to Jesus by night” (see 7:50; 19:39).

Nicodemus, no doubt, was quite moral and lived according to Mosaic Law. People probably thought he was a pretty good person. Yet none of that mattered. He was in the dark about who Jesus really was, and he wanted to know the truth. So he was drawn from the darkness into the presence of “the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Jesus calls us “out of darkness” too (1 Peter 2:9) and promises that whoever believes in Him will not stay in the dark (John 12:46). — Cindy Hess Kasper

Our search for truth is hindered by
The darkness of the night,
Until the Bright and Morning Star
Reveals His brilliant light. —Sper

Faith in Christ is not a leap into the dark; it’s a step into the Light.

An Answer

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."
1 John 2:15-17

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
1 Peter 3:15-16

We live in an age where the world constantly tries to shape our desires. Buy this new computer, buy a car, get a girlfriend, make tons of money, and so forth. Fame, prestige, money, and women are toted around as successful. You all have that image in your head..."I want to be successful." Look beyond these worldly things, and see that a man that does the will of God lives forever!
These worldly desires go against what God teaches us. You will constantly be in battle in regards to this. This brings me to my next point.

From 1 Peter 3:15-16, we are always to be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us about our faith (in a manner that is respectful). But, can many of us give answers? To believers and unbelievers? It is very easy to say I am for God 100%. But, how many of us mean it? Let us honestly re-arrange our priorities so we love God. Let us pray that we have the diligence to prepare for the time when we will give answers in regards to our faith.

Cheers my brothers,
Richard

No Escape

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence (Psalm 139:7, New International Version).

Scripture: Psalm 139:7-12
Song: "Where the Spirit of the Lord Is"

In the middle of the night, my friend's sister, distraught because of her difficult marriage, drove several hours from her home in southern California to Yosemite National Park. She then hiked to the top of Half Dome, the park's famous glacier-carved, half-sphere rock formation. The final ascent up the curved back of the granite mountain is challenging in daylight but filled with risk after dark. When she reached the peak, she hiked back down, got in her car and drove home.

Pondering the dramatic story, I wondered what she was felling and thinking. Was she hoping she'd fall off the giant rock? Was she running away from her problems-then somehow found enough strength to go back and face them? Was she angry? Was she crying?

All of us would like to escape at times. The psalmist has good and bad news for us: we can't run away from God. While I don't know whether the frustrated wife found peace in her marriage, I do know that even the night sky at the top of Half Dome was not dark enough to hide her from God's presence and love.

Prayer: Dear Lord, like Adam and Even in the garden, we run away to hide our shame, our sin, our pain. Forgive me, and help me come out of hiding to acknowledge Your abiding presence. Through Christ I pray. Amen.

- taken from 365 Devotions by Standard (Pocket Edition)