Short devotion: An Invitation - Psalm 100v3

 

Psalm 100:3 Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. (NIV)

This prolonged pandemic has impacted all of us spiritually. In our imposed isolation, we’ve developed a sense of religious independence and some folks now don’t see the need of being part of a congregation or denomination anymore. We’ve managed to survive this long without the church programs or projects influencing our lives and using up our precious time. God understands that we’ve become self-reliant on our own ideas, opinions, and choices. We’re still loosely attached to Him, but only when we really need God to help us. We’re making our own way and asking God to follow along.

We have forgotten that we are creatures and not the creator of ourselves. The purpose of our lives always has been and will be to worship God and enjoy His creation. Somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that being in church is not necessary so long as we are being church. That’s never been true – after all, Jesus was always in the synagogue every week on the Sabbath and His apostles always gathered together for Sunday worship after the first Easter.

There’s also a dangerous side to this religious individualism and church independence. Prophetic churches with cult-like leaders are on the increase. People with no sound Biblical teaching are more gullible of accepting conspiracy theories and being manipulated by unscrupulous ‘prophets’ who make outrageous claims and that God is only interested in one particular nation. Those false teachers are leading many astray, which is precisely what Christ and His Apostles constantly warned His followers about.

So, today, I make this invitation: get back to church, be with God’s people, and seek sound teaching. As the psalmist wrote long ago: Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Q: When was the last time I attended worship at a local church?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us better than ourselves and clearly see how vain we are. Help us to reconnect with Your Church, so that we can grow spiritually through worship and sound teaching. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to see what’s going on at the church, please visit the church website at www.erinpres.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s old psalm drawings based on a verse from Psalm 85. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Psalm 85.

Worship devotion - Being Human - Isaiah 29:13a

Isaiah 29:13a              The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

            Worship is a very humbling experience because it requires us to set aside time to come into the presence of God. As we enter His holiness, we recognize that we are unworthy and unprepared to encounter His sacred Spirit. We also understand that we have come to serve God by acknowledging that He is our Creator, as well as the Controller of our lives. In other words, worship requires us to let go of who we are, in order to let God be who He is. Worship is not about us; it’s all about God.

            Being human, we get distracted during worship. Instead of focusing on the Lord, we think about other things – our homes, our families, our work, or our schools. We know that we should meditate and ponder on what the Lord has done, but instead we mull over our problems and allow our minds to wander. Sometimes we miss out on the best parts of worship because our thoughts are elsewhere. We don’t do this deliberately; it’s just that we are human beings who get easily sidetracked.

            It’s not a new problem either. Long before there were any cell phones, tablets, or devices, people still got distracted. Even 2,700 years ago, when Isaiah was prophetically given today’s Bible verses, God’s people still found it difficult to focus during worship all of the time. Just like us, they also had their worries, issues, and distractions which is why Isaiah calls them out. The people might have shown up and gathered together to worship God, but their hearts and minds were on other things. They couldn’t sustain their focus on God; they couldn’t free themselves from other diversions.

            So does that mean that worship is ineffective? Certainly not. When we gather together in worship, we are with a body of people who greet and befriend us, encourage and support us through both the good and bad times in our lives. We also share wonderful moments when the Spirit touches our hearts and souls together, so that we can build upon our relationships with God and one another. We come together to worship God in church; we leave together to serve God in the world.

Questions for personal reflection

What distracts me during a worship service? How do I get re-focused on God?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, thank You for calling us to worship God in church. Thank You for the songs we sing, the prayers we pray, the stories we hear, and the scriptures that are preached. Thank You also for the people who worship alongside us – our families, our friends, our Christian sisters and brothers. Bless the worship we attend and help us to focus on God. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message or ask questions, please send your email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Pentecost.

Worship Devotion: Worship Blessings - Matthew 4:10

Matthew 4:10  Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.' " 

            I love worshipping God. It’s good to come among a group of like-minded people and sing together our praises of God. Being with Church family week after week gives me the strength, encouragement, and challenges to face whatever takes place during the next seven days. Without church, I don't know how I could live. Without worship, I don't think I would have any faith, hope, or love.

            Worship to outsiders looks like a dull religious thing. They don't understand the positive power and unique experience that being in God’s House each week creates. They think that worshippers are full of weak, unintelligent, and misguided people. They don’t know about the spiritual pull that God gives to His people to come together to be with Him. It’s a mysterious event where folks are drawn together by the bidding of the Holy Spirit and brought into the favorable, sacred presence of God. There’s nothing like it on Earth; there’s not even anything like it in Heaven because people are already gathered there.

            Going to worship on a regular basis does not make us superior Christians, but it does build up our faith in Christ and love of God. Worship helps us to humbly come before God to praise His Name, seek His forgiveness, and look for His guidance. It’s a filling station for empty spirits; it’s a sacred haven for troubled souls.

            When Christ confronted the devil about worship, He plainly and effectively stated that worship was meant to be directed toward God only. There is no other object of our worship; there is no other being that we are meant to focus upon. When we worship God, we are fulfilling our destiny, our purpose, as well as the meaning of our lives. We are created to worship God, so we are at our most complete when we come to church as believers and worshippers, as well as pilgrims and disciples seeking and receiving His love.

Questions for personal reflection

What does worship mean to me? How do I humbly serve God through regular worship?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we are called to worship Your Father, our Creator, to serve His purposes, and to find meaning in His Kingdom. Thank You for boldly confronting the devil by declaring what true worship is. Help us to humbly and authentically worship God each day of our lives, as well as with Your gathered people. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, or ask questions, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest miniature paintings called “Christ Icon.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Christ Icon.

Daily Devotion: Constructive Worship - Psalm 57

Psalm 57:7      My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. 

Yesterday, a loud bang occurred that shook the entire church building. It wasn’t an earthquake or an explosion. It was the demolishing of the concrete entranceway to our sanctuary. We’re building a new carport that will allow our people to drive their cars to the front door. Our church rests upon a steep incline which makes it difficult for some of our seniors and families to walk from their cars to the sanctuary, especially when it is wet. Over the years, several people have fallen in slippery conditions, so we’re hoping to put an end to that by building the new entranceway with a car port.

The downside is that this demolition and construction is going to affect us for about four months. Our people will have to come into the sanctuary from a different set of doors. It will be inconvenient for a while, but the hope is that our people will still faithfully attend church each Sunday because they want to worship together in the sanctuary. Our hearts will be steadfast and we will sing and make music to the glory of the Lord.

This will also give us an opportunity to see what kind of priority our people give to worship. Churches exist purely to glorify Christ and praise the Name of God. Everything else that we do as a church is merely temporal and peripheral. Worship takes place in Heaven and on Earth. Worship goes beyond this world and on into the next. Worship is infinite; all else that we do is finite and limited to this one life. If we choose to be active in our faith community, but do not make worship a priority, then we are only serving ourselves and dishonoring God by robbing Him of the glory and praise due to Him for His work amongst us.

For the next four months, it will be interesting to see what happens to our worship numbers. I hope that the Holy Spirit will bless each of our people with perseverance and patience, enthusiasm and endurance so that by the end of summer, our worshipping community will actually be stronger, more faithful, and closer to God.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for the blessing of worship in our lives, churches, and communities. We praise You for such a divine privilege and we pray that we will never take it for granted. Throughout times of change and challenge, keep us consistently seeking to praise, glorify, and worship You. Both now and forever, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is of John’s latest drawing called Sunsphere Celebration which depicts the Knoxville Sunsphere on Independence Day. If you would like to view a larger version online, please click the following link: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4698147293_f49d8d39a6_b.jpg