Sabbath Worship

According to Mark Buchanan, true Sabbath is defined as an act of ceasing from that which is necessary in order to embrace that which gives life.

I read that, and I thought, wow! 

Let me repeat the definition again: to observe the Sabbath is to cease from the necessary in order to embrace the Giver of Life. 

Sabbath is then, not necessarily a day or period of time, but an attitude of the heart, a desire to drop everything that causes worry, heartache, stress, and run with arms wide open into the presence of an all-knowing, completely deserving, love-filled God!

God has always been more concerned with our hearts than our lip-service, or even hand-service. Over and over again we read that He requires obedience and not sacrifice. In the prophets we read of the Israelites questioning God, "Why have we afflicted our souls and you have not heard?" And God's reply comes down to, "Because you have not humbled your hearts before Me."

Did you know that the command to keep the Sabbath is the only one of the 10 commandments that Jesus did not repeat as a command in the New Testament? I find it interesting. 

Is it possible that because the veil was torn, we no longer have to set aside a day to enter into God's presence, rather we have the freedom to access the throne room at any time, with our petitions and also our worship?

I find that worship is at times a tricky subject. Certain people define it one way, others another. But I think that worship should be defined with this same definition as Buchanan defined the Sabbath: to cease from the necessary, that is, the thoughts, worries, cares of everyday life, in order to embrace Christ. To have this attitude, to walk in tandem with our Father in all that we do, surrendering to Him, exalting Him, with hearts soft to His presence, alive with His Life! 

God is present and reachable anywhere, at anytime. There are no set rules to follow, words to be spoken, or rituals that need to be done, in order to come into the presence of God. I have been able to worship God in a room full of unbelievers, in places dark without the presence of God. You can worship raising your hands, or lying prostrate on the floor. You can worship in the absence of music or the overwhelming presence of it. 

True worship is not a position of the body, but an attitude of the heart, much like a true keeping of the Sabbath. Sabbath was not a day for rules, but a day set aside to remember what God had done, who He was! It was a physical reminder of what the attitude of our hearts should be, a re-alignment of hearts before a holy God. 

Worship is this, abandoning yourself because there is One so much greater. He is worthy, He is good, He is life. 

And that Life breathes deep into the deadest souls. It is like a rustling wind that builds into a great storm, wreaking havoc on what is familiar and well-known, breaking boundaries and building new pathways, transforming the landscape of our souls from bleak and barren, to well-watered and fruitful, so that we ourselves spill over with His life until others are touched, moved themselves to be living worshipers, keepers of the Sabbath, embracers of LIFE!

#markbuchanan #therestofGod #worship #sabbath

More!

On January 12, 2014, I wrote in my day planner:

I believe that God has something MORE for us this year.

Today is May 25, 2014. Almost FIVE whole months of 2014 are gone. Where is the MORE?

I'm asking that because this year has not gone the way I planned or hoped for. I thought I was staying in the Cook Islands. I had dreams of ministry; I had feelings of new growth, new hope for this year. 

God changed my plans. 

Which is fine. I'm actually happy that God didn't stay inside the box I made for Him and that He didn't allow me to stay in the box I made for myself. God is bigger than that, and He knows what's best.

Today, yesterday, this past week, however, have left me with a huge longing in my heart. A longing for MORE. A desire for change, a hunger for God, a need to be used by God. 

If it's ok for me to write this, this past week I have been afraid. Afraid that the more I believed for the year isn't going to happen. 

I want to see lives changed this year. I want to see churches, communities and nations run after the presence of God. I want to feel God's presence with me. I want to see blessing in the midst of difficulty. I want to see people go, into nations, into homes, into workplaces with a hunger and fire for God. I want to know what God has for me personally. I want to know where I'm going next, I want that next chapter in my life. 

This morning, we had a guest preacher in church. He preached a wonderful message. He spoke on redeeming time. 

Ephesians 5:15-16 "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (NKJV)

What if the reason that I haven't seen the MORE is because I haven't redeemed my time? What if these past 5 months have felt empty because I've been spending my time on things that weren't necessarily the best use of my time?

Have I spent the right amount of time in the word? In prayer? Building relationships? Seeking God's heart? Talking to others about God? 

I can't necessarily say that I have or haven't. I'm just thinking about this now and I'm realizing that it's something I need to take up with God. 

But I think it's a question we should all ask ourselves: Am I redeeming my time? Am I making it count? 

This is a longer blog than I'd usually write, but I was reading in Luke this evening...

Luke 21:37-38 says, "In the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet. Then early in the morning all the people came to the temple to hear Him."

It doesn't say it here, but other places we read that Jesus went to the mountain to pray, to spend time in the presence of the Father. Jesus's more here on earth came from a place of quiet, a place of listening to the Father. A place where He could rest in God and receive strength. Jesus's more came directly from the Father's heart. 

And in John 14:12, Jesus says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and GREATER works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." Think of the works Jesus did, He healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead. He taught on relationships, church, missions. He trained disciples and taught multitudes. So where is our more?

I'm going to spend my next few days talking to God about this.I'm going to seek Him, I'm going to ask Him. Because I want the next 7 months of 2014 to be more.

Serve Him

Today...
First key on my key ring, first run, first correct response to stress in probably the last year, first 24 degree day since arriving in Canada, fifth job interview...still only one part-time job I'm not sure is exactly the job for me...

I went to my room after supper and said, God, this is it, You have to speak to me, You have to show me what is happening here. This has pretty much been my prayer when it comes to my personal life since I landed in Vancouver at the beginning of April. 

Jesus tells a story in Luke 18:1-7 about a widow who continued to come to an ungodly judge because she desired justice. The judge would do nothing for her for awhile and then he got fed up. He said, I will get her justice otherwise she will wear me out with her continual asking. Jesus then expands His point by saying, if an unjust judge says this, how much more will God bring justice to His chosen?

Hear God's heart, He is saying, how much more will I answer the prayers of my people? We see this in other places as well, Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you...
God longs to answer the prayers of His people, He joys in it and delights in it.

Today, when I went into my bedroom, I prayed, and God brought these verses to mind,
Philippians 2:3-4 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others."

The verses haven't really clarified to me which job I should take or if I should volunteer this summer. They didn't clarify to me where God wants me next or if maybe He wants me in La Crete for longer than I originally thought.

But they did give me direction for tomorrow, for the rest of the week, for how I'm going to treat people at work and at home:

Look out for the interests of others...

#prayer #direction #service

The Finish Line

I feel the need to post, different topics tumble chaotically around in my head, there are currently at least 2 other posts half-written in my draft list, and every time I sit down, I don't know what to write.

What should I share on? What is God doing in my life? Where is this lifelong adventure taking me? I don't know what to write, especially considering that my life lately doesn't feel very adventurous. Life feels, difficult, a little bit like I'm slogging through some mud hole, trying in vain to put one foot in front of the other.

How many of you find that? Daily life can be drudgery. Pursuing God is hard work. Making life mean something, downright difficult. Impacting people and sharing the gospel often just presents you with rejection after rejection.

Even just thinking about this makes me want to crawl into bed, turn out the lights and hopefully sleep until the world is magically a whole other place. Life doesn't work like that.

A lot of us expect life to be perfect. A lot of us don't want days where we slog through the mud or start sinking in quicksand. We want life to be rosy, for the flowers to smell sweet absolutely 100% all the time. We want to look perfect on the outside, and we struggle in secret through what's happening on the inside.

I think that since the Fall, sometimes our biggest mistake is pretending like there has never been a Fall, like really, sin? What's that? Struggles? I don't have those.

But we're setting ourselves up for failure. And we're setting the body of Christ up for failure as well. God knows that we struggle and that we have days where we just don't get it.

I found a quote online the other day by A.W. Tozer. He said, "It is doubtful that God has ever used a man greatly that He has not hurt deeply." And although that's not really what this post is about, really think about it, life hurts. There is not a person who has ever existed, or ever will exist that hasn't been hurt, wounded, or struggled through chapters of life.

As part of the body of Christ, we are then called to encourage those around us, using our gifts, talents, personalities, to cheer each other on in this race called life. Even when the people on either side of us may be sinking in quicksand. We are part of a body so that we can pull each other out, cover for one another, build each other up in the faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12...and then SIDE NOTE: think of 1 Corinthians 13, that's not really a chapter on marriage, that's a chapter on what love in the body of Christ should really look like).

No one has ever gone on an adventure and expected it to be easy, or if they have, it's taken them probably all of 30 seconds to realize they got more than they bargained for. All those BMX guys and pro-snowboarders and skateboarders, they didn't get good by not getting hurt, by not getting stuck in the mud, by not taking risks. They did that, but they got themselves unstuck. They failed, and tried again, and tried again, and tried again, until they succeeded. They also have friends, family, people cheering them on, letting them know that whatever the crazy stunts they pull, someone will be right there beside them.

Life, adventure, being a Christian, not easy. Lots of failure. Lots of stuck times. Times too when you want to quit. But you can push through, there is joy, there is freedom, there is a finish line.

How sweet to cross the finish line, with a host of those who've gone before us cheering us on!

How can you encourage someone today?

World News

#world news #onwritingwell #missions

William Zinsser, in On Writing Well, writes, 'A writer will do anything to avoid the act of writing.' Today, yesterday, the past week, for many seasons of my life, I have completely identified with this statement.

My parents finally set up wifi in their home, for weeks I have begged and pleaded for wifi to be set up. I could access the web, write a post a day, be connected, and so when the long-awaited day finally arrived, I sat down to write a post, and did everything else instead.

I have sewed cushions, cleaned, cooked, chatted on facebook, set up instagram and pinterest; I have read, wrestled with my brother, played candy crush for hours and drank untold amounts of coffee...
Still, no post.

Zinsser also comments on the need for writers to force themselves to write. Writing as a career is hard, but in order to do it well, it must be done.

So, I am sitting here this afternoon, and forcing myself to write. Not that this is my career, but this is something that I want to get more involved in.
I think mostly my problem today is actually picking a topic. There's so much on my heart at the moment. I tend to be the kind of person that is involved in a lot of different things. Since coming back from the Cooks I have been involved in nothing. So I've been reading the news, and the news is, well, heart-wrenching.

I don't know how anyone can say that there is no need for missions when you can read of civil wars, children sold into slavery, booming sex trades, murders, violence, cheating, poverty, sickness.

I wonder not only why this is not convincing more people to go, to serve, to set free in the name of Christ, but where is the church?

Are we doing what God called us to do? Are we making an impact? Are we using our spheres of influence to further His kingdom? Are we fulfilling His commands?

Here are links to a few of the news articles I've been reading today:

Nigerian School Girls

Ukraine's Civil War

Polio Outbreaks

I read these and I ask, what are we doing? What am I doing? Sometimes, not much, in my tiny corner of northern Alberta, but the first thing I can do is pray. And God will lead me from there.

What is Missions

#iheartywam #missions 

What I shared with my church this evening....

What is missions? And what is a missionary?

I've thought about this a lot in the past few weeks, having God "call me off the field" so to speak. Does that mean I'm not a missionary anymore?

What is missions? Is it serving overseas? Not really, because then you couldn't serve as a missionary in your home country or continent.

Is it defined by serving cross-culturally? Still no, because people can often have a greater impact serving and being missionaries within their own cultural context.

Are missionaries people who evangelize? Yes, in a sense, but then why do we classify between Christians, pastors, people in ministry, and missions?

There has to be something to define missions.

Is it the living conditions? Is it the hardship, the often lack of physical comfort? Well, these things might add into it, but Christians throughout the world face these things same as anyone else. And with the change of the face of missions, there is often now a greater call into urban centres, into richer nations, who have completely forsaken Gospel they once carried to the far corners of the earth. 

Do people who once served overseas as missionaries and have now returned to their home countries and become involved in other forms of ministry ceased to become missionaries?

Everyone would agree that it is every Christians duty to fulfill the Great Commission. So missionaries can't be defined as people who fulfill the Great Commission, although part of a missionaries job description is the fulfilling of it.

There has to be something to define missions.

I have thought about this and studied this and prayed about this. And I think it comes down to calling. 

Is it some super human ability or special Christian gifting? Not at all, because missionaries are just like everyone else, they fail, they don't have it altogether, most of the time they don't love everyone, sometimes they want people to just go away so they can relax and have some down time.

We are all called to preach the gospel, to disciple and train and baptize. That is the Great Commission, and it doesn't apply to only a select handful of Christians, it applies to all who have called on the name of the Lord for salvation.

So how is a missionary different? They have a different calling. A pastor is called to teach and shepherd his flock, a housewife is called to make a home, a business man is called to excel in business and a teacher to teach faithfully. All of these realms bring us opportunities to share the Word, to influence in multiple ways daily those we come into contact with for Christ.

A missionary has one calling, that is to bring Christ, to everyone they meet, that is their one fire, their one desire, to give up all to see one person saved for the gospel, but all in obedience to Christ, to use business, to use housework, to use nursing as an avenue to preach the gospel, to use whatever profession, whatever means, to reach others for the gospel, but to be willing to give up all because the heartbeat of God drums so passionately for a lost and hurting world. 

Not all of us are called to be missionaries, not all of us should want to be. Missions is incredibly hard and incredibly lonely. No one should feel guilty if God has not called you to missions. 

But I think some of us are, and that's why I'm about to show this video. I've been praying about what to share on this missions report since before I left the Cooks. And this video keeps coming to mind. I'm just asking you to be open, if God speaks to you while it's being played, then spend some time in prayer, earnestly seek Him and ask Him where He'd want you to go and how He'd have you serve. It might be as far from here as the South Pacific or it may be as close to home as your next door neighbor, it might be with a missions organization, it might be on your own initiative, but if God calls you, please, go. There is a lost and dying world all around us. And God has chosen us, chosen us to pray for laborers to be sent into the harvest, chosen us to go into the harvest, we are His chosen vessels to make known, by His Spirit, His plan for eternal life.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5gSuxP9wza4

Spring

#life #missions #spring 

Driving home from town a few days ago, the sunset highlighted new buds on all the trees. I was so excited, spring was in full swing I thought, soon to give birth to summer. But winter has her icy tentacles wrapped, still, on this land, and the next morning I awoke to 0 degrees Celsius. Again, today, a chill is blowing through with the wind and when I went for a walk, ice lay frozen over the water in the ditches beside the road.

Winter holds tight, to many of us, for too long after spring should have arrived. Circumstances and guilt hold us in their clutches, and we lack the fortitude or strength to stand firm in the grace that is ours through salvation.

We forget that Jesus came to bring us life and that He came to bring it in abundance. Where the Spirit of The Lord is, there is freedom....in every circumstance God gives the strength to rise above, to rest in His victory, and to live in a place of new life.

I'm learning this the hard way through trials and tests, circumstances that I could choose to allow to crush me, but God continues to whisper, I am the Life.

And He is. He is the One who sets me free, allows joy and peace to overflow, brings in the warmth of spring to melt the icy clutches of this world's circumstances, doubt, fears, trials.

HE IS THE LIFE!