singleness of heart...

One of the greatest things Jesus ever taught was the singleness of heart. He brought it up time and time again by asking His followers to have one single goal: Serve God. To the rich, He said to put your money in God’s economic system. To those who would cling to family inheritance, He said to leave it all behind for His inheritance. To the weak, He said, “Let me be your strength but admit you are weak first.” To the poor, He offered riches in heaven. To the downtrodden, He offered hope. To the desperate, He offered peace. To those closest to Him, He called for them to give their lives for Him. To all who followed with a singleness of heart, He used them in miraculous ways and the salvation story we present today is a direct reflection of those who had a singleness of heart. The one single thing He asked: Serve God.

Today a singleness of heart in anything seems almost impossible. Instead of having musicians and singers who have given themselves to their talent and use it in an extraordinary way, we have many who can play fairly well, or sing fairly well, but don’t get to excel because they are so stretched and busy doing everything else. Writers don’t have time to sit down and put on paper the many thoughts and stories that come to their mind because they can’t uncloud all the other stuff that is up there due to a hectic schedule. Bible study leaders prepare for leading a class and at the last minute pull together a good lesson but sometimes not a great lesson because they had something come up in another area they probably shouldn’t have volunteered for. A parent can’t be as good as they should because they are trying to juggle one thing after another and the plates are just about to fall. No singleness of heart. Multiplicity is our battle cry!

Maybe this year Christmas could be the time when we refresh our minds and our hearts and explore what God wants to do with our lives through serious prayer and soul searching. It would probably mean prioritizing and saying NO at times when we want to say YES. I believe if we would take a deep breath and pursue those things God impressed on us at the time of our salvation, we would begin to see a quality of living come into our lives that would radically change our attitude about life. Singleness of heart. Serve God. Focus on what HE wants and everything else will come into, or out of, focus quickly. Then you will discover a new world that is focused and purposeful.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

who am I?

As we think about the upcoming pageant, I look back and I am very thankful for your commitment to this great task. Of course you have shown over and over the heart of a servant in all you have done in preparing for weekly worship and the Christmas Pageant. I say of course because that is how I feel about you as a choir. If I am questioned by anyone who asks the following questions to me about you as a choir, it is easy to answer the same thing every time.

Will they be there? Of course! Will they be working on these songs at home and as they drive down the road? Of course! Will their worship be heartfelt? Of course! Can you depend on them? Of course! Are they selfless in their attitude? Of course! Are they doing it for you as their director? NO WAY! It’s all for God!

Praise God for His great mercy and direction for His people. He gives us direction in how to live our life. That direction is real and we will follow it. Who am I that I would try to take a separate path than what He wants? He guides my steps, but I must open my heart, mind and life to Him. Galatians 5:25 says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Verse 26 puts the “who am I?” in the mix: “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” We are not to think less of ourselves because we are children of the King. But we are to keep ourselves and our wants in the proper perspective when it comes to who we are in His service. It is all about Him; all praise is due His name.

Who am I? I am a servant of the Most High and a significant part of His plan. Who are you? You are servants, people who are making a difference. Never discount how important you are to God. Keep in the middle of His mix and He will show you more and more each day just how much He loves you and wants to use you. Remember, your faithfulness generates far more than just doing a task. It shows who you are.

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

worship with a capital W...

A few years ago we went to my daughter’s home and I noticed on her car a W sticker and of course, this meant George W. Bush. You’ve seen them all over and it’s amazing to be able to identify a person with one letter. The highest office in the land has been filled by a man with a full name like anyone else, but is easily recognized by that one letter, W. Oliver Stone even named his movie about George W. Bush, W., and when I looked at the title on the movie list, I knew who it was probably about. W. Of course, there have been times when the W was highly touted and highly thought of my many. And times, like now, when those accolades and accomplishments are mired in controversy and almost hatred. As we now know, the praises come and go like the rain. The love can turn to disgust and malice. The following can turn to folly. Sad, or so it seems. W, once highly thought of as a letter, is now viewed by many as failure. Of course, we don’t know all the truth behind the change, but there was a change about that letter W.

There is another word that is so strong and so purposeful in a believer’s life that it, too, could become a powerful letter, highly thought of and highly respected to the point of making a sticker that just says W. It is the word worship. What is worship in a believer’s life? It IS a believer’s life. We can’t run from it, package it to make it easy, keep it off our car or even out of our home. It is something so strong that it defines who we are and who we are associated with and all who see us see a huge sticker that says W. In this case, we know we are sinners and we will fail even though we strive to follow God’s Word completely. We also know that we will know more about worship today than we did yesterday so our knowledge bank will fill up more and more each day.

What we will be sharing by worshipping our Lord is that worship is a lifestyle, and that lifestyle is centered on growing more and more like Him every day. When we sing, we sing differently because we are singing out of the all-surpassing understanding of growing in a relationship with the Creator of the universe. That relationship is not a passing fancy that diminishes when things aren’t going too good for us and grows when things are going good for us. That relationship, that worship is constantly directed toward God because we love Him, no holds barred, with all our heart. That love is what generates a life of worship so we always trust Him, always hold on to Him and always follow Him no matter what happens. He is our all in all...that is the life of a true worshipper.

In John 4, Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well and drives this point home. 21-24 “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming — it has, in fact, come — when what you’re called will not matter and where you to go to worship will not matter. It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship. God is sheer being itself — Spirit. Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” 25 The woman said, “I don’t know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.” 26 “I am He,” said Jesus. “You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.”

So! No need to wait any longer. Worship Him! We many times talk about the mark of the beast and what that will mean during the end times. I want to promote the Mark of the Savior for the present. That mark is W. That W won’t let you down. Live a life that is real so that your worship will be real. Are you God’s bumper sticker for worship? You don’t have to wait any longer. He’s here.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren