Sunday 7 July 2013

Worship


Today in church our worship pastor preached on the topic of worship. The first part of the message was about worship- our attitude, our posture, etc as we worship the Lord in church or anywhere else. The message is available online at www.watotochurch.com if you would like to hear it.
The second part of the message was about living our lives as worship to the Lord. Graham used a familiar portion of scripture.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will.
We have all heard many sermons preached from that scripture with many different applications to whatever situation, but then Graham read that passage again from the Message translation and BAM- right between the eyes!
Romans 12:1-2 (Message)
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well–formed maturity in you.
All of a sudden, God has my attention- my full, undivided attention, He was talking to me! I have blogged many times about how things are getting routine here. What does the scripture say, “Don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.” God brought us here to minister to people, not just Watoto people, but the woman I buy bananas from, the guy at the pineapple cart and the people we meet just walking down the street. Have I got so comfortable in the culture that I am now walking by the very people God sent me here to minister to? Ashamedly, I must admit that the answer to that may be yes in some circumstances. I am so glad God showed me that now while I still have some months to pay more attention to the people around me and listen closely for God’s voice.
What have you been walking by in your culture? Who is God calling you to minister to?

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