AWAKENING: A Life of Worship - A message challenging us to live everyday with worship

How did God fit in to your day today?

Depending on when, during the day, you read this, God may have already been in it or you haven't thought about that yet. That can be a challenge for us as we start to get ready for the day and plan various tasks. Also, as we look over our calendar and seek to accomplish various things we may become so wrapped up in our schedule that we forget about where God fits in to that schedule.

In those times it is easy to forget about not only including God but the concept of worshiping God seems very foreign. Sunday, we looked at how our life is a life of worship. Worship doesn't begin and end but is continual. Our everyday, menial-thing-life should be including worship to our God. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Changing Our View ~ Sometimes our view of worship may be limited to what we've always known. We accompany worship with a time of attending a service at a church building, including all the traditional elements (singing, praying, Lord's Supper, preaching, etc.). But what if we went out of that box and looked at worship as something more? What if it included everything we did...from the menial to the grand? Think of the continual connection you'd have with God!
• Why 'All the Time'? ~ Our connection to Him should be 'all the time.' He longs for us to connect to Him and in everything we should be desiring to have that connection. My 2 year old daughter sometimes says "Dad, talk to me!" when she wants my attention (usually she is interrupting a conversation between my wife and I). It is kind of funny the way she is wanting to have our attention. It leads me to think that God might be saying "Jarrod, talk to me" as I go throughout my day. Additionally, He wants to be honored for giving us what we've been given...our job, our food, our house, our health, etc. Worship Him all the time!
• Living the Life ~ It is very rewarding to see worship in a new light. To see Him as the giver of blessings and wanting to appreciate Him for those blessing is the ideal situation to be in. Even in the times that may not "be from Him" but we don't know, I like to still appreciate Him and thank Him. It may be just something like finding my keys, I still say "thanks." Live the life of worship and constant connection to Him!

Worship can have various elements incorporated in it to draw us closer to Him. May we not limit ourselves when it comes to that connection, so we will not be isolated to just one area which we lean on to get us there.

Look to have a life of worship!

Now it's your turn...what surprises you the most or piques your attention the most about having worship being beyond formal gatherings?

Under the Yoke of the Unlawful - a message about being put in a "box"

Twenty-five years ago my first sibling, my sister, had her wedding. I remember the day as being very hot and for a youth not used to wearing a dress coat on a hot day, it was miserable! The wedding was not held in our church...why? because they couldn't play instrumental music in our church building.

For some of you reading this, that reason may not be understandable. However, our family attended a Church of Christ, which is traditionally acappella (no instrumental accompaniment). Of course, this tradition is during our worship service, but some felt it carried over to practically any day of the week, including a wedding. So, my sister had to find another place to hold their wedding.

This tradition was held so tightly that it put our family in a box, for the sake of the wedding. We did, at a Baptist church in town. Have I mentioned it was hot that day?

As Jesus mentioned about the yoke of man's rules and traditions being heavy and His being light, in Matthew 12:1-8 we see one of the places Jesus uses an example to defend the heavy versus light yoke. As the Pharisees are pointing fingers at the disciples of Jesus, they expand the thought of being put in a box regarding the Sabbath. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Pointing Fingers ~ It is easy, whether it is in society or the religious world, to look at someone and define them based on yourself. Bullying, as defined today, begins this way. Whether it is about a person's clothing or sexuality, people will treat them a certain way based on where they stand on something. The old adage says that when we point a finger, we have three pointing back to us. As we point, we forget about our faults. May we be thankful for grace that has the potential to excuse our faults as well as others!
• Keep it Simple ~ When the disciples, in the text, were rubbing their hands together, some called it harvesting. For our modern "combine harvesting" days, that would especially seem ludicrous. However, what if the scene was a combine was cutting to take a row (or less) to give the family some food. Would we then see it as work? Maybe keeping our definitions simple would help. Let's not stretch them out to make them something just to point a finger or place judgments. Compare apples to apples...not Johnny apples to Granny Smith apples!
• Become Familiar ~ One way to have a more accurate definition of saying if someone is wrong in a matter is to be very familiar with the subject. Too often people who judge Christians are not familiar enough with the Bible. They may think they are, but have chosen to "pick and choose" to defend themselves. "Proof texts" rarely provide the necessary proof, so we need to be aware of using them in our defenses.

Life can be challenging when we are not able to use our talents in accomplishing tasks. That may be in the workplace or in our religious beliefs. There are areas which we have freedoms but are put in a box. Becoming freed from that "box" will allow us to better serve our God through our passions and talents. Plus, we will be excited to serve! Know your parameters, but serve Him with vitality!

Now it's your turn...when have you been placed in a "box?" Also, what was the source for which you were involved?

Taking the Easy Route - A message to let us "relax" (not become lax) in our journey to heaven

Have you ever had the chance to create something to help solve a problem? It could have been something with more of a massive size or it could be a jig or gadget to make life a bit easier.

I have built a few in my day that were "gadgety" and just did not work too well at all. For some of them, I could make them work, for others they were a flop. Either way, that was OK because it was also fun to exercise my mind.

When things work to help make life easier, they are really fun to watch and see what you "invented." If we don't take advantage of using what was created, we can tend to become very frustrating. As Jesus gives the invitation for people to "come" for help and be able to take the easy route, in Matthew 11:20-30. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Repentance ~ When I was growing up repentance was focused on before a person could become a Christian. Among others, Acts 2:38 tells the people to repent before being baptized. I have often left this "action" at that point (prior to baptism). That is not the only time I have repented, but it is not something that I think about much, to be honest. However, I have done a disservice to myself because there are things that I need to repent of, as life continues. What do you need to repent of? An attitude toward someone? A wrongful action?
• Soften ~ Being hard-hearted can cause one to be resistant. Resisting change in yourself can cause life experiences to be difficult. As you think about the idea of repenting, you must allow yourself to be softened so that you will be open to what is needed to be repented from. Plus, staying soft for God allows you to be moldable as He shapes you into what you may need to become.
• Come... ~ Without a tangible Jesus, some find such an invitation hard to understand. Coming to Jesus means to become closer and more knowledgeable about Him. Enjoying the mysteriousness of Him by seeing what the Bible says about Him, both in the Old and New Testaments. As this text describes Jesus as an interweaving with God, to be fascinated with the mysteriousness of Jesus means that you are also fascinated with God. The more you know, the more you want to know more. So...come!
• Take the Rest ~ Some jobs require people to take their vacation. That time off is supposed to be good for employees to get away from work. Jesus wants us to take a break from trying to be perfect; which is what the Law expected. He was wanting those hearers in Matthew 11 to relax from the heaviness of the Israelite leaders and enjoy what He brings to the table in the way of expectation. He wants us to relax and enjoy life, striving to live for God, not for religious leaders (or anyone else). Enjoy some vacation time, maybe permanently, from guilt and appreciate what Christ has done through His voluntary death on the cross. Then, live out your joy so others will be attracted to it.

Life will have its good days. Enjoy those days! Enjoy taking the easy route as you go through life. This route is with Jesus carrying your yoke and, as a result, you will be given the light and easy yoke.

Now it's your turn...what will/do you enjoy most about having your yoke taken away and be able to wear the yoke of Jesus?

RESTORE: Called, Not Employed

Who do you work for? Or, if you do not have a job, what consumes your life? What are your priorities or what makes up your daily routine?

We all have something that we "do" in our life. The real question is, what is the overarching reason we do the things we do?

For some that "thing" may be for money, support our family, job security, resume building, or because we have to. There are going to be various reasons, but I want to eliminate all the reasons Christians do things, except for one...that we're called.

For some this approach may come as difficult to understand or really wrap your mind around. The concept basically boils down to thinking that we serve God first and everything else falls under that. Too often we separate working/school/retirement and church/God as two different things. We will "change clothes" as we move from one context to another.

As we think about that, here are some applications to the sermon to choose from to use this week...

• At the End of the Day, Keep "Him" On ~ It can be easy to want to come home at the end of a work day and change clothes. Our challenge is to keep Jesus on, no matter what. Whether you are at work or ready to change, keep Him on through it all.
• Revel in Your Calling ~ To partner with God in the Kingdom is simply awesome! I challenge you to think about what you are doing in life, then pointing it all back to the fact that everything falls under Kingdom work. Enjoy teaming up with Him! Look forward to the next thing that comes your way!!! I sure am!
• Not Dividing ~ It is easy to find events that meet you interests. But once "church" comes into the picture, we want to separate. However, these two areas should be in one, with the spiritual being the trump layer. Think about what you do, but keep it all under the "spiritual." This concept keeps all ideas in check...we're here basically for Him...Enjoy it!

Keep in mind that whatever you do, it should be ran through the "spiritual" filter. Everything is done because we're called, not because the job asks/demands. We look for ways to see God and to serve God. When you look for these, it is amazing what comes your way, each day!

Look for them...they are right there in front of you!

Now it's your turn...what have you been involved in where you "saw God" in or following the instance?

We Can't Be "We Are That, Too"

If you've ever sat in a group of people who were asked a series of questions you've probably heard someone say something like "I am/liked/thought that too". You may have been the person in a group that said it. I have. It generally stems from a person that is either not satisfied with their answer, forgot to say it when they had the opportunity, or is trying to be like that person so they don't look bad.

Distinction is about creating a clear direction and being unified about that direction. No matter what your involvement is with a group, you need to make sure this is clear among the people.

Specifically focusing on church related settings, in order to create some distinction, we need to have a sense of clarity in our direction. If we're not all on board, then we're going to be going in several different directions.

If you were to be a part of a group of churchgoers, all from different denominations, who was being interviewed from someone who was "shopping" for a church, and the question "Why should I come to your church" was presented for you to answer, what types of things might you be inclined to say? Now that you have your answer, would you be tempted to piggy-back off of someone else's answer and say "we do/are that, too"? If you didn't, I would bet that someone would.

We don't understand distinction, enough, in that type of setting. We would worry about making ourselves look so good that we would forget to make ourselves distinct, in a positive way.

We may think that, as a church, we are going to be everything to everyone. However, as much as we would like to think that, we are not going to be. We may try to dabble a bit into various realms, but we are not going to succeed in being everything to everyone. Wal-Mart, with all its variety is not able to succeed in being everything to everyone. You can't buy a tuxedo there. You can't buy several things there. Even with all the variety they have available at every store, they still have a select amount of things one can buy.

As a church we must keep that in mind. We must create a clear distinction about what we are and for everyone to get on board with that so that we can have a good direction. We may offer a wide range of products, but we're not going to meet everyone's needs or be able to make a place for people to receive certain things.

As the future continues, we need to make sure there is clarity and that clarity is expressed to the people, so that we can all get on board with our direction.

Let's not focus on worrying if "we are that, too" but, rather, focus on what we our for others and get excited about it and see what God will do when we create clarity.