True worship

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 4:1-24

TO CHEW ON: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him." John 4:24

There is at this time in Protestant church circles, a range of opinions on the best way to worship God. On one hand there are those who are discovering new-to-them practices of worship by exploring and reintroducing the old ways. A return to liturgy and various methods of contemplative prayer are gaining popularity. Here, for example, is an article by a former Baptist pastor explaining how he uses a rosary in prayer.

On the other side there are those who caution against any and all whiffs of the contemplative, warning that even though these things were modeled and taught by the early church fathers and mothers, they were influenced by paganism and thus tainted and suspect.

Personally, I understand the need for caution but also wonder if we're not going overboard when we label as dangerous everyone with whom we don't agree on every detail. I find myself siding with A. W. Tozer who, when he was criticized for reading and quoting Catholic writers like Julian of Norwich, Augustine, Francis of Assissi, and Michale De Molinos "...handled these naysayers in the same way he dealt with negative comments from his frequent references to the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers, or moderns such as Thomas Merton. These saints, from Tozer's angle of vision, knew the Lord intimately and he learned from their writings about drawing closer to Christ — even if he did not agree with everything they believed" - Lyle Dorset,  A Passion for God: The Spiritual Journey of A. W. Tozer , Moody Publishers 2008,  Kindle location 2074.

But how does one decide what to use, and what to throw out? Worship leader LeMar Boschman writes, in a sidebar article in my Bible:

"It is the believer's responsibility to discover how the Lord wants to be worshiped and to explore and cultivate a relationship with Him out of which sincere, Holy Spirit-enabled worship will flow. Jesus instructs it:

Worship in "spirit" — that is alive through new birth (John 1:12-13; 3:6-7) and aglow with holy Spirit enablement (1 Corinthians 14:14-15). This is not mechanical, rote or merely human activity but dynamically capacitated spiritual action.

"In truth" emphasizes biblical integrity joined to personal honesty, manifest in a heart of sincerity, a humble manner of transparency and a relational integrity. Meaning and being what we say, as well as being spiritually energized in our worship, opens the way to that worship the Father seeks" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1449.

With the Bible as our plum line, we won't go wrong.

PRAYER: Dear God, direct me to true worship through Your word. Please warn me by Your Spirit against any practice or method of prayer or meditation that is dangerous, forbidden, or will do me harm. Amen.

MORE: "Heart of Worship" - Matt Redman

No one is a blockhead to God

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 6:13-24

TO CHEW ON: "And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire." Matthew 5:22b

I read this and hear a little voice in my head saying, 'Come on, Jesus, You can't mean this.' For who of us hasn't called someone "Blockhead" or "Stupid" — the modern equivalent of "Raca," or thought, if not spoken the label "Fool" over someone?

A. W. Tozer gives an explanation of this verse in his essay, "On Calling Our Brother a Fool":

"What our Lord is saying here is not that a man will be punished with hell fire for calling another a fool, but that a man who can say 'Thou fool' to a fellow man is revealing a state of heart which will fit him for hell in the end. Not the relatively slight offense of calling a brother a fool, but the serious sin of feeling contempt endangers a man's future...


Contempt for a human being is an affront to God almost as grave as idolatry, for while idolatry is disrespect for God Himself, contempt is disrespect for the being He made in His own image" - Of God and Men, p. 82-83.

Tozer goes on to say how contempt is really a mask for pride. The contemptuous person's high opinion of himself is based not on the fact he is made in God's image but because he fancies himself to have virtues he doesn't have. His error is actually moral as well as intellectual.

Tozer points out how readily contempt flourishes in the realm of religion and church-going. We easily look down on the person who is an outright sinner and readily call fellow Christians, with whom we disagree, fool-equivalent names.

However, that doesn't mean that the Christian closes his eyes to sin. Tozer explains:

"He cannot avoid rendering moral judgment on the deeds of men; and, indeed, he is accountable to do so. 'By their fruits ye shall know them.' 'From such turn away.' But his disapprobation of the evil ways of men must not betray him into contempt for them as human beings. He must reverence the humanity of every man, however degraded, out of appreciation for his divine origin. No one for whom Christ died can be common or worthless" p. 84.

I confess, I have been contemptuous and felt convicted about it. The next time my ugly pride rises as contempt, I will imagine Jesus standing beside me. I will ask, How does He view this person?

I will do a little realistic thinking about myself and my own potential for sin ("There but for the grace of God go I").

And I will remember that Jesus died for us both.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to see others and myself through Your eyes. Remind me of the infinite worth of each person. Help me to reflect that regard, not only in my actions and words, but even my thoughts. Amen.

MORE: The Image of God

Have you ever thought about what it means to carry the "Image of God" — that thing which we name as giving humanity its special dignity. I challenged myself to define it when I wrote Bible Drive-Thru (devotions for kids ages 8-12). Here is a link to the meditation with my definition: "Special Creation." Your thoughts?

Rooting out anger

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 7:1-8:1

 TO CHEW ON: "Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,

For anger rests in the bosom of fools." Ecclesiastes 7:9

I will never be one of those people of whom their kids can say, 'Mom never said an angry word.' Because I've been known to lose it.

The battle with anger is probably harder for some people than others. But no matter how unnatural it feels to stay even-tempered, the Bible makes it clear that anger is seldom a good thing.

- It leads to evil (Psalm 37:8).
- It leads to unwise decisions and actions (Proverbs 14:17).
- It is in our control (Proverbs 16:32).
- Patience and overlooking another person's wrongs are a better response (Proverbs 19:11).
- It sets us up for judgment (Matthew 5:22).
- It is on the list of carnal qualities to "put off" along with malice, blasphemy, and filthy language (Colossians 3:8).
- It disqualifies us for positions of leadership (Titus 1:7).
- It is not conducive to a righteous life: "God's righteousness does not grow from human anger" - Message (James 1:19-20).

Anger begins in the thought life and is often a symptom of other problems: unmet expectations, impatience, hurt pride, selfishness, self-centredness. You can probably think of more.

Discovering the root of one's anger is an important insight. Those of us with an anger problem can ask for God's help to determine what is triggering those bouts of temper. Only as we attack anger's root will we finally overcome this foolish and impulsive response to people and circumstances.

PRAYER: Dear God, please give me insights into the anger that still lurks in my heart and explodes at the most inopportune times. Amen.

MORE: Circumstances and my thoughts

"...circumstances do not make men; it is their reaction to circumstances that determines what kind of men they will be...


...The mental stuff of the Christian can be and should be modified and conditioned by the Spirit of Christ which indwells his nature. God wills that we think His thoughts after Him. The Spirit-filled, prayerful Christian actually possesses the mind of Christ, so that his reactions to the external world are the same as Christ's. He thinks about people and things just as Christ does. All life becomes to him the raw nectar which the Spirit within him turns into the honey of paradise.


Yet this is not automatic. To do His gracious work God must have the intelligent cooperation of His people. If we would think God's thoughts we must learn to think continually of God. 'God thinks continuously of each one of us as if He had no one but ourselves,' said Francois Malaval; 'it is therefore no more than just if we think continuously of Him as if we had no one but Himself.'


We must think of the surrounding world of people and things against the background of our thoughts of God..." — A. W. Tozer, "The Sanctification of Our Minds" from That Incredible Christian.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.