Monday, January 25, 2010

The Heart of Worship

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I know I personally had a great one. I found out some really crazy, amazing news. I am going to be a brother again! As I've mentioned before, my Dad remarried in May, and I went from being an only child to having a 14 year old step-brother, 17 year old step-sister, and a 20 something step-brother (Sometimes I don't add him to the count because I've seen him once at the wedding and once at Christmas). Friday I found out that I'm going to have a new sibling. I'm extremely excited. This sibling will share the same blood that runs through me, which to a guy who's been an only child, that's a mind-blowing concept. I don't know the gender yet and while I'm hoping for a little bro (as is the rest of my family), I'll be extremely thankful either way. The crazy thing is I'll be 37 when this kid turns 18. His or her's birthday will be sometime in August. All I gotta say to that is go God! =D He is good.

However, down to business! I want to give you an idea of how I came about this post and how I've come about a few others, because it's one of the most enjoyable times in my week. I work in a certain ministry called MOTION. Which is where the students use dancing, singing, instrumentals, Step, and a few other things to witness to others and share the Gospel. I myself however am highly uncoordinated and instead found my use in the tech crew, helping set up and tear down for the band and running the sound board for them. The best part of this is, while they are practicing, I have free time just sitting behind the board. Across the hall people are dancing, a few rooms down people are singing, and here I have this band working hard trying to perfect the music to glorify Christ. Everyone is doing their thing, but all with a common goal in mind. Glorify Christ, Bring others to Him. It's great. So while I'm sitting their in this amazing atmosphere, I like to spend time there either reading or memorizing Scripture, or letting God speak to me about this blog. Now Sunday, I was doing all 3 and I came to a verse. Jonah 2:8. It caught my eye and since then I haven't been able to leave it alone.

"Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope for steadfast love"
It's interesting I found this verse when that morning the song during worship that took me the most was The Heart of Worship:
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus 

This coupled with that verse is incredibly compelling to me, because of the fact that it's more relevant today than ever before. It's one of society's biggest issues now. I want to ask you a question, so that you will really ask yourself it. What idols and vanities are you worshiping?  Take a moment if you will and think about it. Is it your job? Maybe a boyfriend\girlfriend\spouse? A sport or team?  Inward things like looks, opinions and talents? Maybe T.V. or maybe like my amazingly cool sociology teacher was kind enough to reply to my question with: Facebook. You see it doesn't have to a big thing to give it too much place in your life. I struggled far too much with giving my last girlfriend too much love. I worried more about that relationship than I was about my relationship with Christ. People are often times far too caught up in the small stuff. Atheist hate to admit it, but they too worship things. Whether it be themselves, Atheism or any cause. We are built with a nature to worship. The problem when you don't worship God is you worship something that won't ever be enough. Any other thing will eventually fail us, all will pass away, and none will ever fill us. In the end it will leave us feeling empty and burnt out. Relationships can be an emotional roller coaster ride, our bodies can't keep a sport forever, our looks eventually wither. Opinions from others are fickle and you have no control over them, leaving you at their mercy (which usually there is none). Talents go out when we do, if not sooner. T.V. everyone is willing to admit is killing our heads to some degree. Facebook, everyone who has spent plenty of time on it find they have times of burnout with it. We were given that need to worship, to worship the One who will fill that need, never fail, and always be here.
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John: 4:13-14
 How's that for filling?
The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy 32:4
How's that for never failing?
For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. Psalms 48:14
And how is that for being eternal?

Why would we ever want to worship things that are so incomplete? Why worship the creations when you can worship the Creator? It's like Solomon in Ecclesiastes where he is constantly saying "This too is vanity." Be thankful to God for all that He has created but don't get caught up in the things He's created. I promise you, God is way more interesting than the creation could ever be!

Much Love,
Luke

“Popular culture is the new Babylon, into which so much art and intellect now flow. It is our imperial sex theater, supreme temple of the western eye. We live in the age of idols. The pagan past, never dead, flames again in our mystic hierarchies of stardom.” Camille Paglia

2 comments:

Patrinas Pencil said...

Great post, as always, Luke. I love that you share so much scripture. I'm begining to think that blogging could be the idol thing for me. It takes an incredible amount of time and that takes time away from my time with the Lord. I've been questioning this whole blogging thing ever since I began in Nov. But, It seems as if the Lord keeps giving me reasons to press on. You're one of those reasons. I want to be able to encourage you. But, If I don't, I know you're in good hands.

Do you actually know if you're making a difference with your posts? Do people read it at school or church? I never see comments so are there others who read it and ask questions or want to talk further? I don't get the reson for blogging unless you know you're making a differnece in someone's life.

I guess, posting on my blog for the grandkids someday to know their granny more, is a good enough reason. I'm just not convinced. They could read journals after journal full of more real stuff then I post on my blog - if they could read my handwriting, that is:)

Just pondering...not sure what I'm going to end up doing yet.

Congrats on a blood sibling - after all these years. When he/she is 18, you'll be a seasoned minister or missionary or youth leader - they will be able to look to you for spiritual guidance. How cool is that!

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Luke said...

Thanks so much! I'm trying to make sure that I keep this from being my idol. I try to remember that this has become a ministry and it's not about me. Which some days is easier than others. I don't know how much it is really making a difference. I have people tell me on Facebook and at school that they like it. I don't know how much it's doing though. I'm trusting God to let it become what He wants it to. I believe it's a matter of the site being spread by word of mouth that more people will come. I also rely not only on what God leads me to write about but on questions and topics others are wanting answers and insight into. Check out this article: http://www.fallenandflawed.com/why-i-blog/

He lists basically 3 kinds of bloggers: Journalists, Diarists, and Educators. I think I was originally a diarist, but I'm feeling now pulled to being an educator. I'm considering changing up the look and name of this a bit since I'm not really wanting this to be about me centrally. I don't mind talking about me, I just fear it'll become to focus, which isn't what I'm after. I got potentially a 4 day weekend thanks to an ice storm to think about it though. We shall see. =D

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