Worship and God's Word

Just as a brief glimpse into my world: I've been (since December or so) reading in the book of Matthew for my personal Bible reading. I usually try to daily read 4-5 chapters at a time, over the course of a month or so. While reading the same few chapters over and over, I've also been supplementing my reading by listening to John MacArthur's sermon series on the book of Matthew while I'm doing my household chores. It has been a delight to read and be taught from the word of God. I am so thankful to be part of a local church body that is also faithful to the teaching and preaching of God's word, and it is a wonderful experience to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ in the home as well as in the body of Christ, the church.

All that to say: As I was recently listening to a couple of excellent messages, I was shouting AMEN in my heart when I heard MacArthur say the following:

For those of you who are visiting with us, it is our custom at Grace Church to worship the Lord in the instruction of His Word. Sometimes I’m asked if I feel that teaching is a part of worship. And I guess I constantly answer that I think teaching is the most important part of worship because you can only worship a person that you know and you can only know Him as you understand His Word. And if we are to truly worship God, we are to worship Him as He is understood and as He is known and according to the worship which He demands which, of course, is revealed to us in His holy Word. So, as we come to worship this morning as always we open the Word of God to be instructed by the One we worship and I guess the essence of worship itself would be to listen to the One who is, in fact, the object of our praise.

The above quote is from the message titled Jesus' Personal Invitation, Part 2 (from Matthew 11:27-30). If you click on the quote above, it will take you to the website where you can read the whole message, or even listen to it for free. I was truly blessed by it and I hope you will be, too. May your heart worship the Lord in spirit and in truth!

Rulers or Slaves

This morning as I spent time in prayer before my kids got up, I was praying that I would be able to instill in them a good work ethic, and an attitude of diligence. There are so many projects and things we'd like to accomplish this summer, and the only way it seems possible is to either 1) get rid of the kids (which is not really an option), or 2) get the kids to help in some meaningful way. And I was praying that I would have the right attitude about this as well. Sometimes I'm reluctant to dive into a project because I think I know how much work must be required, and I just don't feel like I have the resources to do it all at once. (Never mind that I could pace myself and get the job done over time; being a big-picture kind of person, I sometimes can't see the trees for the forest!)

And then at breakfast, we read Proverbs 12. Over and over was a contrast of a diligent person and one who is often referred to as a sluggard elsewhere in Proverbs. And there's a lesson in there for me. I connected these verses together.


verse 11: He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.

verse 14: A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, and the deeds of a man's hands will return to him.

verse 24: The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor.

verse 27: A lazy man does not roast his prey, but the precious possession of a man is diligence.

Paying close attention to verse 24, there are two types of people: those who rule, and those who are slaves (put to forced labor). So I made two lists:

The Slave's List:

• pursues worthless things
• lacks sense
• has slack hands
• is forced to work
• doesn't roast his prey (doesn't make the most of his opportunities)

The Ruler's List:

• tills his land
• has plenty to eat
• uses his words wisely
• is satisfied with good
  
• has diligent hands
• understands the value of diligence

And of course it's a rhetorical question, but what kind of person would I rather be? What kind of person do I want my children to become? So now, I make a composite list:

To Be THAT Person, One must:

• pursue important, valuable, virtuous things
• be sensible
• be busy with one's hands
• work voluntarily
• make the most of what one has, improve on what one has
• work hard
• reap what one sows
  
• plan for the future
• enjoy the fruit of one's labor and the blessing of one's actions
• keep one's hands from being idle
• appreciate hard work
  

Rather than be the slave to my stuff, I want to be the ruler, how about you? I know this is short and sweet, but I want to now go and practice what I'm preaching! May God bless you in the pursuits that He's given you and the work that He's given you to do today, tomorrow, next week, and all summer long. And I'll end with this passage from Galatians to reflect on, in light of the verses in Proverbs:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. (Galatians 6:7-10)