II Timothy 1:7; Romans 12:1-2 - "When I Look Into Your Holiness"

These words are going through my mind this morning...

When I look into Your holiness
When I gaze into Your loveliness
When all things that surround become shadows
In the light of You

When I've found the joy of reaching Your heart
When my will becomes enthroned in Your love
When all things that surround become shadows
In the light of You

I worship You, I worship You
The reason I live is to worship You

Yes! This is the life I desire to live. One of worship to Him, 24/7! Yesterday my sermon was about how worship is not just about singing as most think. It's about every aspect of our life. Or at least that's how it should be. The main Scripture I used was Isaiah 6:1-8 where Isaiah told of the vision God gave him. There were three aspects of worship brought out by Isaiah. Seeing...sanctifying...serving. We must see Him before we can worship Him. Isaiah saw God and it changed his life. He saw how big God really was in his vision. Many people go to church see people, the preacher, what's going on, etc. but we need to go to church to see God. True worshipers will see God whether they are in the church building or in the comforts of their own home. Isaiah also saw the importance of being sanctified to truly worship God. Too many people go to church and call what they do worship. But if we really saw the Lord in worship, we would see our need to be cleansed. True worship must involve a heart cleansing and a heart change. (vs 6-7) If we really believe that God is holy, then we will see our unholiness when we worship. We will realize we need a cleansing of our soul when we worship God. D. L. Moody said: “I’ve had more trouble with D. L. Moody than any other man I’ve ever known.” We can all relate to that statement. We are the one to get in the way of what God desires a lot of the time. We allow self to take control when we need to allow God complete control. He desires us to die to self so He can reign in us. He wants to deal with our sin and in the life of a believer He shows us most clearly when we are already in His presence. Worship for Isaiah had to do with getting a glimpse, getting a cleansing, and getting a mandate. God reveals Himself to us in worship. Then He shows us our sins and shortcomings, and He leads us to confession and repentance. Then, when we're clean, He leads us to obey Him. Obedience must flow from worship. In fact, if there is no obedience after worship, then it likely wasn’t worship at all. When we have a passion to know God better, that will translate into doing what pleases Him. We are sanctified not to be sloths, but to be servants. Getting sent comes from getting scrubbed. True worship will culminate in the statement: “Here I am. Send me. What do you want me to do?” If God hasn’t given directions for what to do next, perhaps what you felt wasn’t God. Perhaps you are hearing man instead of God. To hear God's voice one must be in right relationship with Him. The way to worship Him in the manner He so desires is to die to self so our focus is on Him and not what we desire. We need to remember worship is concentrating on how good He is, not just what He has done for us. Yet we go to church as if it were about us. Shame on us! We need to admit we don’t worship God as we should. When we go to church, we may enjoy the singing, music, preaching, and the company. But it should never be about us or pleasing us or making us happy. Worship is stepping out of selfishness. Worship is placing Him first in our lives, in the good and bad times. Worship is making Him #1 in our finances, in our pleasure and leisure times, in our intimate times, in our jobs, in our families, in our quiet times, in our out-and-around times. He is worth our 100%. Anything less is an insult to the holy and all-powerful God, filled with love and compassion, grace and mercy, not treating us as our sins deserve. Worship is not just about singing. It is about: living a life for Christ 24/7; giving freely of our time and resources; and saying 'yes' when it doesn't make sense. Romans 12:1-2 is the way I desire to live.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

As we live a Spirit-filled life, sin can still come into our life. But because of the absence of inner conflict, we can be victorious in not allowing sin to have power over us. It is through this victory that we will see His perfect will in our life. It is also through this victory that I can stand upon II Timothy 1:7 every day knowing He empowers me by the Holy Spirit to walk in obedience to Him. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the blessing of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Thank You for the opportunity to preach yesterday! Thank You for giving Doc strength to be able to go to church! Thank You for the way You are going to give Him a better day in his physical body today which will encourage him greatly! Thank You for the rest of yesterday afternoon and again last night! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me with more of You. May You be my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts throughout this day so I will stay focused on You. Father, the week ahead is going to be 'tough' for many. I pray for: Doc as we wait on an appointment for his CT; Janice who will be seeing the oncologist for her first time since her breast cancer diagnosis; Jess and her family with her Momma's funeral; June and Shirley who will have surgeries; Melanie with interviews; Nancy with her fractured rib; Mr. Fran for strength and protection; Mr. Ed as he adjusts to his new position; Mike as he gains strength from his heart procedure; Mick, Lisa, and Mike as they continue their battle; Jim from his fall; and so many others. Lord, bless each one with Your love in abundance. May each of them see You this week in a mighty way. I pray for more people to come into relationship with You to the point they not only believe in You but they desire to walk in obedience to You. Thank You Jesus for being My Sanctifier! Amen.

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