Living a Lifestyle of Worship

So my wife has latched onto Jillian Michaels' book, "Mastering Your Metabolism," and her war against high fructose corn syrup (and other fake-foods that are bad for you) and has totally changed our diet and how we eat.  In her defense, some of the new foods we eat actually taste good, and even for the ones that don't, we have seen a remarkably positive difference in my household's collective health.  But this post isn't about eating healthier food and taking better care of the Holy Spirit's temple...

Today she sent me a link to this article on MSNBC.com about how fructose has recently been linked to pancreatic cancer proliferation and expansion.  Now, the conclusion that even my 8 yr old can draw is this:  HFCS(high fructose corn syrup) consumption goes up; as do cases of Cancer.  This research draws a pretty clear link.  BUT (here comes my favorite part)...the researches are now searching to create a pill to stop cancer cells from using the fructose.  So we don't go to the source of the problem and encourage people to fix it by controlling their fructose intake.  No, instead we attempt to create a band-aid to treat the symptom of the problem.  The original problem itself will remain and, as history shows us, will eventually find a way to become tolerant of the treatment and/or a new health problem will develop from the treatment...which will then require treatment.  And the sad cycle goes on and on.

Rewind now to two days ago.  I was listening to the radio in my car, and a snippet of a Tony Evans message (Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, TX) came on.  He said that one of our biggest problems in our relationship with God is that we don't call sin what He calls sin.  For instance, we look at our overwhelming credit card debt and think, "I've just had a hard run of luck," or "I don't get paid what I'm worthy;" instead of saying, "I've been living outside of my means and not treating my money as God would have me treat it."  So we don't get right with God and repent from our sin, because we don't recognize our behavior as sin.  And then the sin-barrier between us and God not only remains, but grows stronger.

As I read that MSNBC article a little bit ago, this message jumped into my head, clear as a bell.  We don't call our sin, sin.  Without recognizing this behavior as sin, we don't stop feeing our bodies massive amounts of fructose that it was never designed to process.  Instead, we try to make a pill to treat it.  We don't correct the sin, and thus the behavior doesn't change.

I've watched NBC's "The Biggest Loser" enough to know that if you attack the source of the unhealthy behaviors, then the body responds.  I LOVE watching the Finale show and seeing what the contestants have done to their bodies and their lives, just from calling their overeating sin and instilling proper diet and exercise habits.  So that got me to thinking...

WHAT ELSE IN OUR LIVES DO WE NOT CALL SIN, THAT GOD CALLS SIN?

For instance, perhaps you (or I) don't memorize Scripture and hide God's Word in our heart; we believe the lie that "we just can't memorize things well."  Instead, we rely on software and smartphones to run a search for keywords that we think we might remember being part of a verse we think we heard once.  And we never really learn God's Word.

That's just an idea that's off the top of my head.  I'm sure there are far too many more.  And honestly, I'm scared to dig in and actually ask God that question.  I'm afraid of what I might find.  But I'm going to do it anyway.  To worship God and become more like Christ, I've got to do it.  We, as a body of Christ, have got to stop treating the symptoms and go straight for the root of the problem:  our sin.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

What in your life do you not call sin that God does?

Do you dare ask Him that question?

Do you dare not to ask?

Teachable Moments.  I'm not sure who first coined that phrase, but I think it's an amazing descriptor.  It is a moment in time when something happens that is a perfect illustration of a principle or concept that you're trying to teach to someone else.  And in that moment, you can focus the attention on that event and drive home the point of what you're teaching.  For instance, if a science teacher is teaching about electricity and circuits and the power goes out in the school, he has a perfect opportunity to use that moment to describe to the students that if a circuit is broken, electricity will not flow.  The situation, which students are experiencing, serves to illustrate and reinforce that concept and there is a high probability of comprehension and retention.

As a parent, I am always on the lookout for teachable moments with my children.  Teaching ideas and concepts to them is fine, but it especially drives it home with them when they see/experience it.  That's when I know they "get it."  For instance, when we started visiting our new church the other day, Audrey came back feeling very upset.  We questioned her, and it turned out that no one was very nice to her during her Sunday School class.  After taking a few moments to console her, Andrea reminded her how we always told her (at our old church) to be sure to go talk to everyone in her class who was new, and to try to include them with her group of friends during the class.  "Do you see how scary and uncomfortable it feels to be new?"  Andrea asked.  "Wouldn't you have liked it if someone would have included you and showed you the ropes?  Not necessarily inviting you to be their BFF, but just being kind and making sure you didn't feel alone.  Do you see now why we always told you to do that at our old church?"  You know those moments when the face wides as the light comes on in their eyes?  We could see through her countenance that she got it.

There was another instance just this past week in which the light of understanding came on; but it wasn't with Audrey...it was with Andrea and me.

If you know our journey, then you'll understand it when I tell you that we're not rolling in the dough right now.  In fact, God has not yet opened the door to our next position of ministry and financially, we're really beginning to get stretched.  Well, just this past week both Andrea and I were stressing about income.  We'd prayed, but just were really not amazingly sure how things are going to work out.  For my part, I've really been feeling forgotten by God.  Of course, I know it's not true; but I've really felt like those things on the bottom of my Weekly To-Do List.  You know what I mean; those things which are significant enough to make the list, but not priority enough to get done this week with the limited amount of time you have.  So you write them down again on next week's list...and the next...and the next...and so on.

To make a long story short, I've been feeling that way pretty strongly for a while - again, I know it's not true, but that's that angle satan has been taking to attack me recently (I assume because it's working so well).  One of my greatest fears is being insignificant, and this time of waiting feels like I'm treading water in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight...and my nose keeps getting closer and closer to the water as I tire.

This past week, God took the opportunity to have a teachable moment with us.  Again, finances has been a major stressor of late and we've been praying diligently about it.  In the span of two days, God provided all the money we'll need to get by this month.

Not a permanent solution, mind you, but a significant acknowledgement of, "Yes Gary, I hear you.  Yes Gary, I love you.  Yes Gary, I know your finances and I can make money appear for you out of thin air. And yes Gary, you are important to Me."  As soon as I hung up the phone on the second day, I paused; those words sinking into my head.  And that's when I knew that God had just taken the opportunity to have a Teachable Moment with me.

God's Teachable Moments, I'm learning, are all around us if we'll take the time to stop and notice.  Times when He shows us that He's in control.  Times when He shows us that He protects us.  Times when He shows us that His plans for us are best.  Times when He shows us that more than anything, He loves us.

So just open your eyes, and be in the moment...and allow Him to teach you.

I've gotta be brutally honest here.  It's after 3AM on Sunday morning, my mind is going 1,000 miles an hour, and I'm not the least bit ready to go to bed.  If I go to bed, I'll just lay there and muse...over and over about my current reality.  The more I dwell on it, the harder it is for me to deal with life in a positive way - so I've sort of adapted by trying to distract myself as much as possible from the issue at hand.  It varies from day to day.  Sometimes it's movies; sometimes it DVR'd stuff; sometimes it's the X-Box360...tonight it's "Prey" by Michael Crichton.

What did you say?  You want to know what would be so compelling as to drive me to put down the final Crichton book that I haven't read, and instead come type?  I'm so glad you asked...  :)

It's about church tomorrow.  I don't want to go.  I know, I know.  That sounds sacrilegious...perhaps it is.  The Worship Pastor doesn't want to go to church to worship.  But it's real.  It's me.  It's how I feel at 3:19AM; and good, bad, or ugly - that's me.  I fully expect that church tomorrow will be great.  It's not the content or the time that repels me...it's the attitude.  Not the attitude of the church...of me.

You see, I'm not much in a mood to praise God right now.  I'm just not.  I feel like Jacob right now...wrestling...and wresting...and wrestling.  Only I'm not near good enough to get the result that He got.  Still, I battle on in my mind and in my heart.  It's a war between what I know, and how I feel.

I KNOW that God has not abandoned me...but I don't feel it.  I KNOW that God has planned a hope and a future for me...but I don't see it.  I KNOW that He doesn't owe me an answer or a glimpse into my future...but I desperately want one.  I KNOW that I am safe in His arms and in His plan...but I feel like I am taking my last gasp of air before drowning in the quagmire of this life.

Worship, however, is an act of the will.  This is being reinforced to me over and over.  You know - it's one of those things that you thought you knew, until God goes to great pains to teach and remind you again.  When Job lost all he had, he worshipped.  When David & Bathsheba's son died, scripture records that he washed and put on lotions.  Then he worshipped God.  I don't imagine that either of these men were in a mood to worship God...but they did.

So tomorrow, I doubt any of the stress and grief that I feel will be resolved.  But when the alarm goes off in 5 hours, I will get up.  I will bathe.  I will eat something.  I will go to church.  And I will worship.  Not necessarily because I feel like it, but because regardless of how I feel...He is still God...Jesus is still my Savior...and he deserves my devotion.

I’ve mentioned previously that I’ve been going through the Abide in Christ - Growing Disciples Series (Andrew Murray, edited by Bo Stevens). Something occurred to me the other day as I was studying John 15:4. Murray points out that we are reminded to remain connected to the Vine (Christ), for apart from it we cannot bear fruit. It is also necessary that we do not attempt to be the Vine - that is Jesus’ job.

How often do we try to guide and direct the Vine? How often do we think we know what’s best, and therefore try to make it happen? How often do we try to decide when and where we’ll produce fruit? In truth, that is not our place. When we commit our lives to Christ, we are committing to His Lordship of our lives. His will...His way...His time. For me (and many of you, I suspect), that is a much greater challenge than I ever anticipated it to be. What I read the other day, however, has offered me some freedom…

“You are the branch. You don’t need to be more. You don’t need to assume the responsibility of the Vine for even a moment. You don’t need to leave the place of entire dependence and unbounded confidence. You don’t need to be anxious about how you are to understand the mystery, or fulfill its conditions, or work out its blessed aim...You just be the branch.” (emphasis mine)

Just be the branch. Wow! That hit me square between the eyes! Be the branch. It’s so simple, yet seems so hard! I have long been duped into the Nike® version of Christianity - “Just do it!” Get out and find where God is working and join in! For too long I have shouldered the burden of the “where, when, and what” - and it’s got to stop.

A real vine supplies the branches with what it needs at any given time. The nutrients are extracted from the soil, the sap flows, etc. at the appropriate time. It is not the branch’s responsibility to dig into the soil and provide it, or to decide when fruit will be produced. That responsibility remains the function of the vine - all the branch must do is follow the instructions of the vine each day. That’s it...so it is in the Christian life.

Be the branch. I encourage you...no, I challenge you. Let “Be the Branch” be your slogan for the next week. Wake every day, and commit your day to be the branch. Make decisions throughout the day, with this singular thought...be the branch. Release the details to Him, and simply be about doing what He has given you to do each day with passion and zeal for His glory. If you do this for a week, I bet it’ll surprise you how settled your spirit will feel. The Vine is designed to carry those burdens - we are not. No wonder so many of us crack and break underneath the stress! We try to carry weight and responsibility that was never in our design to carry in the first place. It’s an exercise in futility to even try!

Be the branch.

It's been a couple of years since I've done one of those Lifeway "read & fill in the blank" style Bible Studies, so I decided to go retro and do another one.  After looking around for a while, I settled on one called "Abiding in Christ," which is a study of John 15:1-17.  Not only does the title really seem to hit me where I am, but it's based off of Andrew Murray's writings called, "The True Vine." Last year I was introduced to Andrew Murray's writings by doing his 31-Day Devotional called, "Waiting on God."  I thought it was rather profound, so when I saw his name attached to this Bible Study I knew it was for me.  Week 1 is officially up and I have begun Week 2 - already I can notice a difference in my life as I view my day through the lens of Abiding in Christ.

Of course, there are myriad applications to the current state of my life right now, but what has struck me most and seems to be on my heart right now is the concept of pruning the branch that bears fruit to bear more fruit (v.2).  Murray points out that while many Christians bear some fruit, they are much like the church of Laodicea - not only lukewarm [in fruit bearing], but content to be so.  As a Worship Pastor and a Christian speaker, I've devoted my life to leading people to worship God with their lives - 24/7/365 (hence the title for this blog).  I've received encouragement from many people who tell me that they see Jesus in me, and I've always tried to live for Him.  I am by no means saying that I have it all together - like everyone else, I am a miserable sinner in need of God's forgiveness and grace.  But suffice it to say, however, that I've never really considered myself to be lukewarm since I truly started to live for Him back in college.

As I read that statement the other day, though, I was stuck by how Murray qualified it:  he pointed out that the standard most of use to measure our "lukewarmess" is other people.  OUCH!  Toes stepped on - hit by a ton of bricks - Holy Spirit slap in the face...all of the above.  I can't believe I've never made that connection before!  I don't measure my service to Christ (or my knowledge of Scripture, or how much I pray, etc.) against anyone else (for instance, I'm not less of a Worship Pastor because I'm not like Chris Tomlin); and I don't look at someone else's sin and say, "Well, at least I'm not as bad as that guy."  Neither do I allow myself to float along w/out trying to use my life to make a difference for Christ.  But paired with the idea of being lukewarm, however, and I am guilty as charged!  It seems that for a long time I have measured my degree of "hot/cold/lukewarm" using others as the standard by which I measure.  I have compared their outward fruits with my own to determine that I'm not really lukewarm because God is using me to do X, Y, and Z.  In truth, though, the true measure of lukewarm comes only from God, and I daresay that it is different for everyone, depending on their own gifts and calling.  Murray has forced me to consider that perhaps the fruit I've been bearing is really only lukewarm compared to what He [the Vinedresser] wants for me...and that I've been content for some time to bear that lukewarm fruit, thinking I was hot.

John 15:2 tells us that God's pruning takes place so that we will bear more fruit.  ONLY HE sets the standard for what amount of fruit each vine should produce.  And does the Vinedresser decide that a vine has produced all the fruit that it needs to?  Does He ever stop pruning it?  I don't know.  What I do know right now is - well, perhaps "know" is too strong of a word just yet.  What I think I know right now is that somehow I have become lukewarm and not bearing the fruit that He desires for me.  Even as involved in Christian Ministry as I have been, and with the fruit of ministry that I've seen, I think that I grew content in what God was doing through me.  Of course, I always wanted God to do more...but I was totally OK if He didn't because I believed that what He was already doing through me was all right.  I'm really thinking that my "bearing fruit standards" have been skewed for quite some time, and that this pruning process I'm enduring is going to run MUCH deeper than I thought...

...snip away, Lord.  Snip away...

What about you?  If you're reading this and are a Christ-follower too, then I challenge you to scrutinize your own standard for bearing fruit.  Do you measure your degree of "hot/cold/lukewarm" against the fruits of other people like I did?  Or do you allow God to set the standard?  Are you content with how He is using you?  Do you welcome His pruning?  Will you open yourself to His pruning?