I have a good friend in the hospital. She just called to request our prayer. They have begun a blood transfusion. She was scared.
I told her that she had already experienced a blood transfusion when she accepted Christ. I began to pray. I beseeched God to heal this woman.
In the midst of my prayer I was overcome by the fact that I haven’t’ been on my knees more for my friends, for my family, for the lost. I began to pray for myself – that God would help me to serve Him completely. I felt like I had neglected those that He has called me to serve.
God’s Word clearly communicates His desire for me as a shepherd to tend to His sheep. He sent His Son as an example for me. Yet I feel the pull of the world. It has another example for me and a different standard to live by. The world’s standard is easier and seems to bring such personal pleasure. Who am I becoming?
When the message we preach (from the pulpit and from the streets) elevates the will of man to an equal status with God’s will, we try to remove Him from the throne and take Him off the cross. We tell ourselves that our will is in line with God’s will, and at times it surely might be. However, our sin nature leads us to choose our own desires when the two wills are not aligned. God’s grip on His elect is what keeps us on track.
Jesus Christ said “I will build My church.” This is the promise that provides an incredible hope to the lives of all who believe. While man continues to “play” church and build a religious kingdom, God continues to build His Kingdom through His Son. As those called by God to equip the saints for the service of ministry we must recognize that nothing is more powerful than God’s Word. We must recognize that nothing even compares to God’s Word. We must preach God’s Word in it’s entirety. There is no “Gospel Light.”
True worship places God as the priority and Christ on the throne. The words of a popular hymn say: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.” Jesus said that He is the Light and whoever follows Him should never walk in darkness. Let us always examine what it means to follow Him. In our worship are we following Him? In our sermons are we following Him? In our lives are we following Him? Are we ashamed of His Gospel? If we can say no then we must prove this by preaching it fully (and some times use words).
