It has be a while since posting here, and yet God's fingerprints continue to press more of Himself onto and into me. What I find interesting is, that as I press on with greater regularity to prayer, and listening to God, I find it easier to ease away from the things of this world. Its as if the song writer (Helen Howarth Lemmel) of "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" really had it right in the chorus of her song, so powerful that most people don't even remember the rest of song that sings of the importance of understanding life and sharing Jesus with others.
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Hellen Howarth Lemmel
1. O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
* Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
2. Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conqu’rors we are!
3. His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
I remember singing the whole hymn as a young man, in our Baptist Church...and using the chorus alone in leading musical worship in our high school and college groups. Yet the whole song speaks of more, and the importance of not just looking to Jesus, but why and how He will help us and help us help others!
In a recent conversation with my brother, their synagogue (no he isn't Jewish but now finds himself leading a messianic congregation) finds themselves reexamining their vision, for it seems, to put it succinctly, that many have slipped into the worship of Israel and Jewishness rather than the full correlation of Jesus and Jewishness. It is true, that if we were to more fully understand the history and people of Christianity (the Jews) and their culture, new avenues of understanding of our God would be opened to us, the avenues themselves should not be the object of worship, nor the learnings and understandings, but simply the fullness of knowing more of the character and nature of our God!
So, I stand here, linking all these fingerprints upon my life as another important piece of the message. I should not worship the avenues that move me towards Jesus and our God, but only God Himself. Prayer, reading His word, listening for His voice, waiting and doing are not the objects of worship, they are the avenues of worship. Him more fully and worship of the only one who can redeem me, complete me and drive me to my knees in reverence to Him is. He alone is and should remain, the object and recipient of my/our worship.
In Jesus' prayer for believers and those who would become believers in John 17 He says:
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
It is that simple and becoming fuller and more apparent that what I seek is not more prayer time, or more reading of scripture time, or even to learn more about being Jewish to understand the heritage of faith, but rather more knowledge of Him, living like and as if Jesus is in me. Yes, indeed, it requires prayer and reading, yes indeed, I should learn more about the heritage of my faith, but these are not the objects of worship, rather the avenues of worship. It is not these tasks themselves that are worship, rather the means toward deeper and fuller worship.
The bottom line is still there though, as I turn my eyes and fix them upon Jesus, I can rest confident that He in me and I in Him will form the reality of worship, the daily living and doing as He leads for His glory. I want the things of earth that need to grow dim to fade away, and the things of Him that need to rise in my soul to burn brightly as the testimony of His work and life in me to grow into me.
The apostle Paul had it right (of course, it is recorded in God's word) when he speaks about worship saying:
Roman 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
Pastor Brian Craig of our church also has it right when he speaks of our lives lived as slaves to Christ and God. If I am to be a living sacrifice, I surely must sacrifice my own personal gain and worldly interest for the sake of greater things, the greater things that Jesus wants to do through me, with me and in me.
God alone is my 'object' of worship. I desire to worship Him more fully, and with greater understanding as I walk through this life. The avenues of worship are praise, adoration, learning and listening; praying, looking and living as His slave. May the sweetness of the presence of Jesus Christ rise in and from our hearts into this broken and shattered world as we worship, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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