Worship is Obedience

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching" – John 14:23

Last time we looked at how worship is reverence and service.  We spent most of the time looking at reverence.  Now let’s study up on service.  So look with me, if you will, to the Garden of Eden.  A man and a woman are in perfect communion with God.  And what is the one condition of this communion?  What is the one thing that could maintain this relationship?  What is the one requirement?  Obedience.  Obedience to one, simple command “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  Mankind has one, simple rule.  It’s not complicated.  It’s not difficult to decipher.  It’s not hard to understand.  Just don’t eat from the tree, the specific tree—you  know—the one in the middle of the Garden.  Yeah that one, right over there. 

We all know the story.  Satan deceives Eve into doubt and disbelief and disobedience with one phrase  “Did God really say…”  If only she wouldn’t have…  Now, before you pickup stones, remember “…whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10)  Okay, we’re all guilty,  put the stones down,  go ahead,  it’s alright,  God will be the judge.  God will be the judge…and He will be the sacrifice for your sin…and He will be the One extending forgiveness and mercy.

OK, so no big deal right?  WRONG!  Obedience is central to the very core of Christianity.  “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Rom 5:19)  Adam’s sin condemned mankind and Jesus’ obedience provided salvation for it.

Jesus is spending the last time He has alone with His disciples before He “humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8) and what is He sharing with them?  “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” (John 14:23-24) He is sharing the importance of obedience.

He goes on to picture the vine and the branches.  What is the life blood of the vine?  Love.  How do we know we are remaining in the vine?  Obedience.  He shows us His love, and our response should be to obey Him.  “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love…I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:10-14)

What is His joy in us and our joy complete if not the reward of obedience?  Let us obey for the joy His Spirit will give to us.  Let us obey because we feel loved.  And because we love, let us obey.  Remember the greatest commandment?  “Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37)  God promises to be our God and we must understand “…he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” (Deut 7:9)  Love and obedience these are the core of God’s expectations of us.  Love is shown or proven by obedience (John 14:15, 21, 23-24; 15:10; I John 2:3-6; 3:22-24; 5:3; 2 John 6; Rev 12:14).  Obedience requires us to love (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37).  All the law and the prophets hang on loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:40) and there is no commandment greater than these (Mark 12:31).  “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.  As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 6)  “This is love for God: to obey his commands…” (1 John 5:3).

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (John 14:21)  As Andrew Murray points out in his book “The School of Obedience,”

“Read Deuteronomy, with all Moses spoke in sight of the land, and you will find there is no book of the Bible which uses the word 'obey' so frequently, or speaks so much of the blessing obedience will assuredly bring. The whole is summed up in the words (11:27),

“'I set before you a blessing if ye obey, a curse in ye will not obey.'

“Yes, 'A BLESSING IF YE OBEY'! that is the key-note of the blessed life. Canaan, just like Paradise and Heaven, can be the place of blessing as it is the place of obedience. Would God we might take it in! Do beware only of praying only for a blessing. Let us care for the obedience, God will care for the blessing. Let my one thought as a Christian be, how I can obey and please my God perfectly.”

Our loving heavenly Father, we pray you would help us to obey.  Send your Spirit as you promised and wrought within us the power to obey.  Strengthen our minds, sharpen our will, focus our attention, captivate our hearts until we are so in love with you that obedience is the natural free-flowing expression of our love for you. Help us to obey for the pleasure of loving you and becoming like you.  Help our willing spirit overcome our weak flesh.  Let us learn, we pray, the joy and the blessing of obedience.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

Worship is Reverence and Service

"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the LORD your God, and serve him only.' " – Matt 4:9-10

Let’s take a look at the New Testament words for worship.  We looked briefly in on these last month, however they bear the weight of expressing what God Himself means by worship, so a closer look is worth our time and effort.  A couple of the main words used in the New Testament for worship are Proskuneo and Latreuo.

Proskuneo means “to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence, by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication.”¹  One scholar summarizes the meaning as “bow down before someone you revere and kiss the ground.” ² Another suggests the meaning “to prostrate oneself in token of reverence.” ³  This side of worship is where we arrive at the ideas awe, reverence, and wonderment of God for who He is and what He has done.  We sense God is and who He is and we worship Him.

Matthew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Matthew 8:2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "LORD, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Matthew 9:18 While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live."

Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

Revelation 19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!"

From the birth of Christ to His throne in the new Jerusalem, people were and are falling down, bowing before God to worship Him.  Jesus walks on the water and those in the boat worship Him.  The leper in need of healing worships Him.  The ruler whose daughter has died comes and worships Him.  They are showing reverence to Him.  They are acknowledging He is the only one who can help them.  The Samaritan woman at the well learns from Jesus that true worshipers worship in spirit and in truth.  She learns He is the Messiah. 

Latreuo means “to serve, to perform sacred services, to offer gifts, to worship God in the observance of the rites instituted for his worship.”⁴  Latreuo carries the idea of general, even bodily service “in far more comprehensive sense than that of slavery.” Like being a cup-bearer where your body is used for the king or even in the sense that bodily preparations must be made for service.⁵   

Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Luke 2:37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Romans 1:9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you

Revelation 7:19 Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them

Matt 4:9-10 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship [Proskuneo] me." 10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship [Proskuneo]  the LORD your God, and serve [Latreuo]  him only.' "

Latreuo carries the comprehensive idea of service.  Serving by prayer and fasting, setting apart even our actions to God that our bodies themselves may be holy (set apart for Him).  If Proskuneo is the sense of God, then Latreuo is the service of God.  True worship must be “in spirit and truth, spirit providing the inner energy and feeling, truth providing the outward conformity and boundaries.”⁶  Mary can be seen as a brilliant example of this kind of worshipper.  Mary is seen consistently at the feet of Jesus – a true worshipper.  She sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said (Luke 10:39).  She got up quickly and went to Him and fell at His feet saying “Lord, if you had been here, my brother [Lazarus] would not have died” (John 11:29, 32).  Again we see Mary at the feet of Jesus weeping over His feet, wiping His feet with her hair, pouring a pint pure nard (very expensive perfume) on His feet and again wiping them with her hair (Matt 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50; John 12:1-8).  Mary understood what it meant to worship Jesus, to proskuneo (to sense, to reverence, to fall at His feet) and latreuo (to serve, to wipe His feet, to offer something of high personal value to Him, to serve with her body). “You cannot serve Him unless you sense Him in your life.  It will be a mockery.  And if you just sense Him without serving Him, you are not worshipping Him.  If you serve Him without sensing Him, it will be drudgery.”⁷

Footnotes

¹ Thayer, Joseph. "Proskuneo." Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Hendrickson, 1996.

² Zacharias, Ravi. “Let My People Think.”  Podcast. “Leadership Seminar Workshop.” http://www.rzim.org/resources/listen/letmypeoplethink.aspx.  22 July 2009.

³ Tenny, Merrill C. "Worship." The Zondervan Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Regency, 1975. Print.

⁴ Thayer, Joseph. "Latreuo." Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Hendrickson, 1996.

⁵ Tenny.

⁶ Zacharias.

⁷ Zacharias.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

Our Primary Duty is Worship

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” – Romans 12:1

When we think of worship, we have a tendency to think of the songs we sing during the worship portion of the Sunday morning service.  This is what we commonly refer to as ‘worship.’  However, the Scripture portrays a much wider definition than a few songs sung once a week.  Romans 12:1 states, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”   The words act of worship here are really only one Greek word – latreia.  Latreia is defined by Thayer as “1) service rendered for hire 2) the service and worship of God according to the requirements of the Levitical law 3) to perform sacred services.” ¹ 

This helps our understanding immensely.  An act of worship is a service rendered to God, a service which is done in holy and sacrificial manner.   The implication is that our lives are the sacrifice and service God desires.  All that we do is to be our worship unto Him.  There is to be no separation between the holy and unholy in our lives.  All that we do should be a holy, pleasing sacrifice to God.  As Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to god the Father through Him.”  Again in 1 Corinthians 10:31 Paul affirms, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  This reminds me of the Westminster Catechism’s answer to the question “What is the Chief aim of man? The Chief aim of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”²  Here is the essence of worship.  Continual acts of worship, acts of service, devoted to God.

Author and Apologist Ravi Zacharias gives the following definition for worship:

“Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God: the quickening of conscience by His holiness, nourishment of mind by His truth, purifying of imagination by His beauty, opening of the heart to His love, submission of the will to His purpose,  all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expressions.” ³

So we come to see worship is a lifestyle not a thirty-minute once a week church experience.  Worship encompasses the way we live our lives and should influence the why behind what we do.  Worship is the motive for our actions.  “For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!  Amen.” – Romans 11:36 

The same root word meaning serve is used in Luke 4:7-8 where Satan was trying tempt Jesus, “‘So if you worship me, it will all be yours.’  Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”’”  The word Worship here means to bow down and kiss the ground before someone.^{4 & 5}   So we have two different ideas here, honor (reverence and awe) and service.  When we understand who God is (eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, transcendent, merciful, loving, gracious, just, etc) and what He has done for us (redemption, salvation, forgivness,  sanctification, love, joy, peace, etc) then the honor and service of Him should become our way of life.  This reverential honor and service become the basis for a lifestyle of worship – continual acts of worship.  While we do the laundry, make the bed, deliver the product, make the widget, meet with the boss, eat, mow the lawn, all we do becomes an opportunity to serve and honor God.  It is our inner attitude that makes the difference.  “If my life is not consistent with my actions on Sunday morning then I am not worshipping.  Worship is an entire life focus uniting every aspect of life with meaning.  Worship service on Sunday morning is the point to which all of my life converges and the fount from which all of my life emerges.  Two hundred people are not coming to the sanctuary to worship, but two hundred sanctuaries are coming to the building to join together in corporate worship.” ⁶  What we have been doing all week prepares us to come together on Sunday and join together in worship to Almighty God. 

Lord, help us not to just worship, but to be worshippers in all that we do!

Footnotes

¹ Thayer, Joseph. "Latreia." Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Hendrickson, 1996.

² "Westminster Shorter Catechism." Web. 18 May 2010. <http://www.reformed.org/documents/WSC.html>.

³ Zacharias, Ravi. “Let My People Think.”  Podcast. “Leadership Seminar Workshop.” http://www.rzim.org/resources/listen/letmypeoplethink.aspx.  22 July 2009.

⁴ Zacharias, Ravi.  Ibid.

⁵ Thayer, Joseph. "Proskuneō." Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Hendrickson, 1996.

⁶ Zacharias, Ravi. “Let My People Think.”  Podcast. “Leadership Seminar Workshop.” http://www.rzim.org/resources/listen/letmypeoplethink.aspx.  22 July 2009.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Wants Us to Love Our Enemies

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chron 16:34

Western society is very analytical or deductive.  We build our thoughts and state our case precept upon precept, premise and deduction.  If A + B = C, then C – B =A and C – A = B.  This is to assume A = A and B = B and C = C, that is, they are constants.  Humans are not constants, they are variables, and human behavior is highly variable.  We do things for many reasons.  Sometimes we do things we don’t want to do because we are tired, worn-out, stressed, emotionally drained, over-excited, emotionally needy or emotionally super-charged.  Sometimes we are not even totally sure why we did something.  Yet we analyze the behavior and speech of others as if we were the sole arbitrator of what it really means, whether the author meant it that way or not.  Human nature has a predisposition to judge things.

On the surface this appears to be a good thing and certainly the Scriptures tell us to be wise about our situations (Matt 10:16; Heb 5:12-14).  However, it is all too easy for the judge to become overly critical.  John Maxwell points out that we judge others by how we perceive their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intent.¹  And there lies the rub, how could you possibly know another’s intent?  Jesus tells us in the sermon on the plain,

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expect-ing to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Luke 6:35-38

This is a tall order, and the passage above is just after the notorious passages “do good to those who hate you” and “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” and “turn the other cheek” and “takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.”  And perhaps the most renowned, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  (See Luke 6:27-31.)  But it is possibly the next few verses which illuminate these passages with dazzling clarity. 

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.

Luke 6:32-34

Jesus is telling us He wants us to do better than an eye for an eye (Matt 5:38-48).  He wants us to love our enemies.  He wants us not to judge others, for with the same measure we judge others with we will be judged ourselves (Matt 7:1-2).  He continues on in both Matthew and Luke to speak about the speck in our brother’s and the plank in our own.  Luke also records the blind leading the blind and both falling into a pit (see Luke 7:39-40, Matt 7:3-6; 15:10-20).  Think of it as the judgment trap.  You judge others and then you fall into the same pit.  The point is that no one but Jesus ever lived up to God’s holy standard, so when we apply this standard against our brother or sister (or enemy), we are setting ourselves up on a plain equal with God.  Remember this was Lucifer’s original sin.  Freedom lies in suspending what we believe is our right to judge.  Freedom lies in allowing the only true judge to extend us mercy at the same time as He extends (and expects us to extend) mercy to our enemies.  Let us not despise the goodness of God which draws men to repentance (Rom 2:4).  We must observer God is, again, not asking us to do for others what he has not already done for us.  We were His enemies when He decided to love us (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21)!

Footnotes

¹ Maxwell, John C. Winning with People: Discover the People Principles That Work for You Every Time. Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson, 2004. 71. Print.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Wants Us Not to Judge

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Matt 7:1

Humans are not constants, they are variables, and human behavior is highly variable.  We do things for many reasons.  Sometimes we do things we don’t want to do (or wouldn’t normally do) because we are tired, worn-out, stressed, emotionally drained, over-excited, emotionally needy or emotionally super-charged.  Sometimes we are not even totally sure why we did something.  Yet we analyze the behavior and speech of others as if we were the sole arbitrator of what it really means, whether the author meant it that way or not.  Human nature has a predisposition to judge things.

On the surface this appears to be a good thing and certainly the Scriptures tell us to be wise about our situations (Matt 10:16; Heb 5:12-14).  However, it is all too easy for the judge to become overly critical.  John Maxwell points out that we judge others by how we perceive their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intent.¹  And there lies the rub, how could you possibly know another’s intent?  Jesus tells us in the sermon on the plain,

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.     Luke 6:35-38 (Emphasis mine)

This is a tall order, and the passage above is just after the notorious passages “do good to those who hate you” and “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” and “turn the other cheek” and “takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.”  And perhaps the most renowned, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  (See Luke 6:27-31.)  But it is possibly the next few verses, the verses that directly precede the verses emphasized above, which illuminate these passages with dazzling clarity. 

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' do that.  And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?  Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.     Luke 6:32-34

Jesus is telling us He wants us to do better than an eye for an eye (Matt 5:38-48).  He wants us to love our enemies.  He wants us not to judge others, for with the same measure we judge others with we will be judged ourselves (Matt 7:1-2).  It takes God not to judge, to do good to those who harm us.  He continues on in both Matthew and Luke to speak about the speck in our brother’s and the plank in our own.  Luke also records the blind leading the blind and both falling into a pit (see Luke 7:39-40, Matt 7:3-6; 15:10-20). 

Think of it as the judgment trap.  You judge others and then you fall into the same pit.  The point is that no one but Jesus ever lived up to God’s holy standard, so when we apply this standard against our brother or sister (or enemy), we are setting ourselves up on a plain equal with God.  Remember this was Lucifer’s original sin.  Freedom lies in suspending what we believe is our “right” to judge.  Freedom lies in allowing the only true judge to extend us mercy at the same time as He extends (and expects us to extend) mercy to our enemies.  Let us not despise the goodness of God which draws men to repentance (Rom 2:4).  We must observe God is, again, not asking us to do for others what he has not already done for us.  We were His enemies when He decided to love us (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21)!  In other words, if God had decided to just judge us while we were still His enemies, He would have wiped us off the face of the earth.  However, He describes Himself as

“the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger , abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7

He is the great judge who will judge all things in due time. Vengeance is the Lord’s, it is His to repay (Rom 12:9).  “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.  But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 5:11-12).  Let us be people like our God, compassionate and gracious, full of love and mercy.  Set yourself and others free, do not judge.  Break the judgment cycle, live in love!

Footnotes

¹ Maxwell, John C. Winning with People: Discover the People Principles That Work for You Every Time. Nashville, Tenn.: Nelson, 2004. 71. Print.

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Wants Us to Be Thankful

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chron 16:34

We live in a fast paced, critical, demand-your-rights society.  Our thinking is often completely focused on ourselves and, eventually, how we have been wronged.  We become critical and judgmental, demanding what is fair.  We soon find ourselves sharing our woes with each other.  It is about this time I find the Holy Spirit reminding me “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” Eph 4:29.  The Word also reminds us “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov 15:1).  If a gentle answer turns away wrath, what does a down-right kind answer do?  What would a thankful answer do?

Kindness, gentleness, and thanksgiving all seem to go hand in hand.  It is difficult imaging one of them without the other.  It is even harder to define them without each other.  Certainly the gentle person is kind and the kind person is thankful.  Ever stop for a moment and consider how life would be different if the people around you were more thankful – if you were more thankful?  What would happen to your relationships with these thankful people?  I cannot help but think it would grow and you would grow closer to these people as you become more aware of how they value you.  Giving thanks is something we do because we are grateful for what another has done for us or is to us.  We are grateful to our parents for raising us, for protecting us, for providing food, clothing, shelter, means of communication and transportation for us, for time spent invested in us, for their encouragement, and so much more. 

If we are this grateful for our parents how much more grateful should we be toward God, who has, forgiven our sin, freed us from our sin, saved us, filled us with the Holy Spirit, granted us every spiritual blessing in Christ, seated us with Christ in Heavenly places, adopted us into His family, given us Himself and His nature to live in us allowing us to be good.  Surely we are obligated to “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chron 16:34; Ps 107:1; 118:1; 136:1; 118:29, etc.  We give thanks to God because of who He is and what He does with, in, and for us.  “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” 2 Cor 2:14  “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Cor 9:15  No wonder God tells us “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:18), because no matter what is happening to us, what has happened for us is better.  Not only that but who is for us is the best!  He, God of all that is, perfect in Holiness, unfathomable in love, gracious beyond measure, is for you!  Why should we not find ourselves “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” Col 1:12. 

Even under the old covenant God had established the fellowship offering as an offering of thanksgiving.  He was showing us a pathway to intimacy (fellowship) with Him through thanksgiving.  “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Ps 100:4  Thanksgiving helps us keep our focus right and it humbles us.  It helps us remember we did not get to where we are on our own.  It opens the gates of His presence and reminds us how good and faithful He is.  It keeps our thinking on God and others.  How can we be all caught up in what is right and fair when we are busy thanking Him for all He has done, is doing, and will continue to do?  This is not to mention thanking Him just for who He is, the ever faithful, always benevolent one!

If we look to Phillipians 4:6-7, we see how thanksgiving and prayer are coupled together and lead to the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  We pray over our circumstances, casting our cares on Him and we thank Him for being willing and able to help us.  We also build our faith by thanking Him for the times in the past when He has helped us through similar and not-so-similar situations.  (Remember He has already solved our most harrowing situation: sin and separation from Him.)  “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Colossians 3:17

A glimpse of Heaven tells us that thanking Him is not something for this life alone, but something that will occupy some of our attention in eternity as well.  “They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: ‘Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’”  Revelation 7:11-12 

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

God Want Us to Help the Poor

 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,

and he will reward him for what he has done.” – Prov 19:17

Giving to the poor and needy is close to God’s heart.  We see it when Jesus speaks of giving to the needy in the Sermon on the Mount.  He does not say “if you give to the needy,” but rather “…when you give to the needy…” (Matt 6:2).    He shows us the importance of the command by assuming we will do it.  He does the same with prayer and fasting “…when you pray…when you fast…” (Matt 6:5, 16).  Interestingly enough He tells us to do these things in secret and to know that the Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Proverbs 19:17 tells us, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.”  The importance can easily be seen again in Proverbs 14:31, “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to needy honors God.”  Certainly God does not take the needs of the poor lightly.  He tells us that the righteous must care about just for the poor (Prov 29:7).  He tells us that if we have possessions but do not take pity on those in need, the love of God is not in us (1 John 3:17).  How can we look at these passages and not see the seriousness with which God has clearly spoken about our responsibilities to the poor?

Let’s look at this from another angle.  Consider Cornelius for a moment if you will.  His is the first gentile household to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Why did God start with him?  Funny you should ask.  Well, it just so happens, that it may have something to do with his giving to the poor.  Incredible?  Coincidence?  I don’t think so.  Here’s why.  Scripture specifically mentions, not once, not twice, but three times, that Cornelius prayed and gave gifts to the poor (Acts 10:2, 4, 31) in the telling of the story.  First, it is mentioned that he “gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly” (v2).  Second it is mentioned that his “prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God” (v4).  Lastly it is mentioned that “God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor” (v31).  It must have been important to God that it be recorded three times.  Then consider, “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses” (Prov 28:27).  I think it is fair to say God wanted to bless Cornelius for his prayers and gifts to the poor.  And why not, scripture records him and his family as a devout and God-fearing (v2), how could He who is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him not bless the giving and obedience with the fear of God combined in this man? 

Here’s another angle for you.  Jesus, in asking us to give from our abundance to the poor, is not asking us to do anything He has not already done for us.  “For you know that grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9).  Jesus left the place where His preeminence was celebrated to come to earth.  He set aside omnipotence to become completely vulnerable.  He set aside omniscience to be able to learn.  He set aside omnipresence to be present as a baby.  He set aside the infinite to become finite.  He set aside glory to be a servant (see Phil 2).  He gave up everything that was rightfully His to come as Messiah and suffer so our sins could be forgiven, our spirits be born-again, our souls be restored to health and peace. 

We ARE the POOR. 

So, He tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves and gives us the story of the Good Samaritan to show us what a neighbor really is (Luke 10:27-37).  He also gives us this remembrance…“‘Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”  The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”’” (Matt 25:37-40).  Which brings us back to the Sermon on the Mount tells us to, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.  Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 10:33-34, cf Matt 6:19-21).

References

All Scriptures not specified are quoted from Life in the Spirit Study Bible (NIV). Stamps, Donald C., and John Wesley Adams. Life in the Spirit Study Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

Some of the preceding Scripture references gleaned from “The Care of the Poor and Needy.” and “Riches and Poverty.”  Life in the Spirit Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 2003,  pp 1326-1327, 1580-1581 respectively