Read these words this morning during “coffee with the Lord:” “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV) … And I wrote these words in the margin of my Bible: “Holiness is a big deal… to me and the Lord!”
A “model” for authentic, God-pleasing worship… Where can you find them?
Sometimes we who are older abdicate the responsibility for that worship to those who are young… that is a mistake I believe. Don’t get me wrong, I’m genuinely grateful for a younger generation that authentically worships “in Spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24) But I have to tell you, I thrill to see “older saints” enter into a worship opportunity and authentically exalt the Lord!
This morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” I read the following words in Psalm 71 and jotted this in the margin of my Bible: “Oh may this be true of my worship… 77 years old and counting!”
“You, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon You I have leaned from before my birth; You are He who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you! My mouth is filled with Your praise, and with Your glory all the day. Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent!
“But I will hope continually and will praise You yet more and more! My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge! With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone! O GOD, FROM MY YOUTH YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME, AND I STILL PROCLAIM YOUR WONDROUS DEEDS! SO EVEN TO OLD AGE AND GRAY HAIRS, O GOD, DO NOT FORSAKE ME, UNTIL I PROCLAIM YOUR MIGHT TO ANOTHER GENERATION, YOUR POWER TO ALL THOSE TO COME!” (From Psalm 71 ESV)
Gonna do it! I want to be a “model of authentic, God-pleasing worship!”
“INDIGNANT!” Can you imagine Jesus “indignant?”
I mean use your imagination… Facial features, the flash of his eyes, tone of voice, gestures… You’ve seen someone you highly respected express it – “indignation!”
What would cause Jesus to express it…
Believe it or not, it was the response of His disciples to parents who brought small children to Jesus for His blessing… Here it is right out of the Bible – the account of an “eyewitness!”
“They were bringing children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, HE WAS INDIGNANT, and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me! Do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God!’ (I mean, can you imagine the flash of His eyes, the tone of voice?) He went on to say, ‘Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it!’” (From Mark 10:13-16)
And then, “He took them in His arms and blessed them, laying His hands on them.” And I’ll bet their parents never forgot it either (or allowed their children to forget that “touch” and the blessing that went with it!) Talk about a prime opportunity for a “cell phone pic!” (Sorry, too early for that to happen. ☹)
Just a few takeaways from that account…
Coffee With The Lord 