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