Just a few things
+The people misused the temple of the Lord as it became a marketplace rather than a sacred place of worship. We saw Jesus' reaction to this as He displayed his righteous anger. Ok, so we don't exactly sell sheep and cattle at church today (at least I hope not) but this is something to heavily consider when we do go to church. The primary purpose of the church is to worship God, not to socialize.
+Notice Jesus' anger in this passage. I never specifically cited this passage but I used to use Jesus' anger as a justification for my own. I'm called to be like Christ and Christ got angry. Good deal, right? Not really. There was a difference between my own anger and that of Christ's. My anger was often personal. So and so did this and I don't agree with it so I will be angry at that person. So and so and I hold different and opposiing views on how to handle this situation so I will therefore be angry at this person until we resolve it. Stuff like that. It is important to note that Jesus got angry in the passage but His anger was over sin. The Lord was not being praised in the temple.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
John 1:29-50
Just something to note: John's mission was to point people to Jesus. Upon encountering Jesus, Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter to meet Jesus. Jesus later found Philip, who in turn went and told Nathanael. When placed in the presence of the Messiah, all of these men chose to respond by sharing the good news about who Jesus is. Why can I not say the same about my response to encounters with Jesus?
Monday, March 29, 2010
John 1:1-18
As I am taking a break from 2 Kings, I decided to go back to the gospel of John. I have come to realize that I don't know as much about Jesus's life and ministry as I ought to.
After reading some commentary, here is what I am to expect from reading John.
John starts off by claiming that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." Throughout the rest of the book, John continues to talk about how Jesus was fully God and fully human. John also gives accounts of who Jesus is as Jesus states His "I am"'s in this book.
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" - John 1:14
After reading some commentary, here is what I am to expect from reading John.
John starts off by claiming that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." Throughout the rest of the book, John continues to talk about how Jesus was fully God and fully human. John also gives accounts of who Jesus is as Jesus states His "I am"'s in this book.
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" - John 1:14
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
1 Kings 21-22
I just finished 1 Kings. In summary...
+Ahab wanted a vineyard but a man refused to give it to him, per instructions of the Lord. Instead of fighting it, Ahab sulked. That wasn't too bad. He wasn't happy about the commands of the Lord but he accepted them. Jezebel, the queen of Israel, was furious that the king was denied the vineyard. She used deceptions and lies to kill the owner of the vineyard.
+This shows the importance of dating/marrying someone of the Christian faith. I'm not saying that Ahab is completely guilt free here but he was willing to let it all go. Had Jezebel been a woman of God, she would have been accepting of the Lord's decrees as well.
+Upon Naboth's (vineyard owner's) death, the Lord sent Elijah to speak to Ahab. Ahab still blamed Elijah for all of Israel's problems. The Lord spoke through Elijah and delivered a prophecy of Ahab's death. Ahab then repented, sort of.
+After this, Judah and Israel wanted to combine forces to go to war against Ramoth Gilead. Ahab, king of Israel, asked Jehosophat, king of Judah, to go to war. Jehosaphat's reply? "First seek the counsel of the Lord." Keep in mind that Ahab previous repented. Ahab then brought together prophets of one of the idols. Jehosaphat wasn't dumb. He then inquired if there was a prophet of the Lord that could advice Ahab. Micaiahthen told Ahab that defeat was on its way. Ahab didn't listen to the counsel or the Lord, went to battle, and died.
+We knew the day was coming when Ahab would die. The Lord declared in His justice that this day would come. Here's the thing: Had Ahab listened to the Lord and not gone to war, his life would have been prolonged for the moment. It is interesting that we see Ahab finally repent in chapter 21. The Lord provided mercy to Ahab in his repentance. We see in chapter 22 that it was not genuine repentance, however, as Ahab turned back to his own prophets. From this...
1) The Lord is gracious and merciful to even the greatest of sinners. In this chapter, Ahab was described as the "vilest" of them all and yet the Lord provided grace for the moment. The Lord does not turn His ear from those who cry to Him in repentance.
2) Repentance is more than "I'm sorry". Repentance is not our "I can do whatever I want!" card. We see the shortcomings of Ahab's repentance in that He did not turn from his ways. Instead of turning to God, he went back to his old lifestyle of serving false idols. This shows one of Ahab's major problems, even something that we noted earlier when Ahab tried to kill Elijah. Ahab wanted things from the Lord but not the Lord himself. He wanted the Lord's forgiveness but not the presence of God. In fact, he hated the presence of the Lord as he hated the prophets of the Lord that spoke about his coming downfall. When you seek repentance, don't just seek repentance in itself. Seek the Lord.
3) Repentance needs to be continual. It's not some one time thing like Ahab made it. As Christians, we are commanded to walk with the Lord and to stay "in step with the Spirit." This means that we should be turning away from sin and growing more like Christ. However, as long as we are here on earth, we will be plagued by the disease of sin making repentance necessary.
I just finished 1 Kings. In summary...
+Ahab wanted a vineyard but a man refused to give it to him, per instructions of the Lord. Instead of fighting it, Ahab sulked. That wasn't too bad. He wasn't happy about the commands of the Lord but he accepted them. Jezebel, the queen of Israel, was furious that the king was denied the vineyard. She used deceptions and lies to kill the owner of the vineyard.
+This shows the importance of dating/marrying someone of the Christian faith. I'm not saying that Ahab is completely guilt free here but he was willing to let it all go. Had Jezebel been a woman of God, she would have been accepting of the Lord's decrees as well.
+Upon Naboth's (vineyard owner's) death, the Lord sent Elijah to speak to Ahab. Ahab still blamed Elijah for all of Israel's problems. The Lord spoke through Elijah and delivered a prophecy of Ahab's death. Ahab then repented, sort of.
+After this, Judah and Israel wanted to combine forces to go to war against Ramoth Gilead. Ahab, king of Israel, asked Jehosophat, king of Judah, to go to war. Jehosaphat's reply? "First seek the counsel of the Lord." Keep in mind that Ahab previous repented. Ahab then brought together prophets of one of the idols. Jehosaphat wasn't dumb. He then inquired if there was a prophet of the Lord that could advice Ahab. Micaiahthen told Ahab that defeat was on its way. Ahab didn't listen to the counsel or the Lord, went to battle, and died.
+We knew the day was coming when Ahab would die. The Lord declared in His justice that this day would come. Here's the thing: Had Ahab listened to the Lord and not gone to war, his life would have been prolonged for the moment. It is interesting that we see Ahab finally repent in chapter 21. The Lord provided mercy to Ahab in his repentance. We see in chapter 22 that it was not genuine repentance, however, as Ahab turned back to his own prophets. From this...
1) The Lord is gracious and merciful to even the greatest of sinners. In this chapter, Ahab was described as the "vilest" of them all and yet the Lord provided grace for the moment. The Lord does not turn His ear from those who cry to Him in repentance.
2) Repentance is more than "I'm sorry". Repentance is not our "I can do whatever I want!" card. We see the shortcomings of Ahab's repentance in that He did not turn from his ways. Instead of turning to God, he went back to his old lifestyle of serving false idols. This shows one of Ahab's major problems, even something that we noted earlier when Ahab tried to kill Elijah. Ahab wanted things from the Lord but not the Lord himself. He wanted the Lord's forgiveness but not the presence of God. In fact, he hated the presence of the Lord as he hated the prophets of the Lord that spoke about his coming downfall. When you seek repentance, don't just seek repentance in itself. Seek the Lord.
3) Repentance needs to be continual. It's not some one time thing like Ahab made it. As Christians, we are commanded to walk with the Lord and to stay "in step with the Spirit." This means that we should be turning away from sin and growing more like Christ. However, as long as we are here on earth, we will be plagued by the disease of sin making repentance necessary.
Monday, March 8, 2010
1 Kings 20
This passage was pretty straight forward. The Lord reached out to Ahab and proved His existence and sovereignty not only once by twice. Twice, the Lord spoke to Ahab through a prophet and said that He would deliver the Israelites in war as a result, the Israelites would "know that [He] is the Lord". The Lord held true to His promises and delivered the Israelites twice. I feel that this in itself was gracious enough. The Lord already proved to Israel that He is Lord through the events surrounding the kingdom and Elijah. Not only so, but does God really need to ever 'prove' Himself to us? He's God.
Twice, Ahab fails to praise the Lord and give Him the glory in the victory. This is completely ridiculous. How much more proof do you need? I'm not sure what caused Ahab to look past all of the Lord's advances to reveal Himself and for the opportunities for Israel to turn back but it's a bit foolish, isn't it? When the Lord comes knocking, we need to answer.
The second time, Ahab even let the enemy of the kingdom, King Ben-Hadad, go. The Lord had delivered Ben-Hadad to the Israelites in a certain victory and Ahab let him go. In another event, the prophet of the Lord had clear instructions from the Lord in which he passed onto another solider. This solider disobeyed and died. In the same way, Ahab disobeyed the Lord's commands and was ultimately sentenced to death.
We love before a throne of grace but that is no excuse for disobeyed the commands of the Lord.
Romans 5:20b-6:4
But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
This passage was pretty straight forward. The Lord reached out to Ahab and proved His existence and sovereignty not only once by twice. Twice, the Lord spoke to Ahab through a prophet and said that He would deliver the Israelites in war as a result, the Israelites would "know that [He] is the Lord". The Lord held true to His promises and delivered the Israelites twice. I feel that this in itself was gracious enough. The Lord already proved to Israel that He is Lord through the events surrounding the kingdom and Elijah. Not only so, but does God really need to ever 'prove' Himself to us? He's God.
Twice, Ahab fails to praise the Lord and give Him the glory in the victory. This is completely ridiculous. How much more proof do you need? I'm not sure what caused Ahab to look past all of the Lord's advances to reveal Himself and for the opportunities for Israel to turn back but it's a bit foolish, isn't it? When the Lord comes knocking, we need to answer.
The second time, Ahab even let the enemy of the kingdom, King Ben-Hadad, go. The Lord had delivered Ben-Hadad to the Israelites in a certain victory and Ahab let him go. In another event, the prophet of the Lord had clear instructions from the Lord in which he passed onto another solider. This solider disobeyed and died. In the same way, Ahab disobeyed the Lord's commands and was ultimately sentenced to death.
We love before a throne of grace but that is no excuse for disobeyed the commands of the Lord.
Romans 5:20b-6:4
But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like."
- A.W. Tozer
- A.W. Tozer
Obsession
I've had the book "Crazy Love" by Pastor Francis Chan of Cornerstone Community Church sitting on my desk for sometime now. I started reading it over the summer and I had to put it down because it was simply too much of a slap in the face for me to read with a clear head at the time. Since then, I haven't picked it back up, until now that is. Instead of reading, I just decided to skim through it. One of the chapters near the end is titled "Profile of the Obsessed" in which he talks about what an obsession for Christ looks like. I'd like to just share a few quotes as I found them very intriguing and convicting.
"People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress." (p133)
"Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth..." (p137)
"A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle. Obsessed people know that you can never be "humble enough," and so they seek to make themsleves less known and Christ more known (Matt.5:16)". (p138)
"People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or their failures. Obsessed people don't put it on for God; He is their safe place, where they can be at peace." (p144)
"A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort. Obsessed people know that true joy doesn't depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God." (p146)
Are you obsessed? I know that I struggle in all of these areas.
"People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress." (p133)
"Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth..." (p137)
"A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle. Obsessed people know that you can never be "humble enough," and so they seek to make themsleves less known and Christ more known (Matt.5:16)". (p138)
"People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or their failures. Obsessed people don't put it on for God; He is their safe place, where they can be at peace." (p144)
"A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort. Obsessed people know that true joy doesn't depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God." (p146)
Are you obsessed? I know that I struggle in all of these areas.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
1 Kings 18
+Once again, we see Elijah's faith in action. This man had faith, not in his own abilities, but in the Lord. In this chapter, he not only presented himself to Ahab, of whom wanted to kill Elijah, but also called out Ahab and all of the prophets of the idol Baal and challenged them on their on ground. The challenge was this: let's each make an altar and call upon our respective gods to bring fire to the altar. Whoever's God is real will be shown by the presence of fire. Elijah then went and mocked the prophets of Baal when there was no fire and then doused his own. Then the Lord sent flames. Oh what faith can do...He trusted in the Lord through it all
+Clearly, King Ahab hated Elijah. While Elijah spoke words of truth from the Lord, Ahab just say it as bad news. Ahab even placed the blame on Elijah when he said "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"(v16). In living in his pride and sincere foolishness, he failed to see that HE was the cause of all of Israel's trouble. He was just too blind to see it as he was living contrary to the commands of the Lord. We should never be so blind as to discount words of truth because of our own pride. It may suck and reveal a lot about our hearts but repentance trumps continuing to live in sin.
+Back to the topic of sincerity: there is no doubt that the prophets of Baal were sincere in their belief that Baal was the true god. This is evident through their actions. Believing in Baal wasn't just some front. They actually believed Baal was real, hence why they accepted the challenge. Once the prayed to Baal and fire did not come, they slashed themselves with swords. Let's be real. That's just crazy talk there. You have to be pretty darn sure that the god that you are praying to is real to think that slashing yourself with a sword (per his commands) will do something. They were completely sincere in their belief that Baal was real. However, they were sincerely wrong. Again, sincerity means absolutely nothing if your sincerity to follow is placed in anything that is contrary to God himself. When it comes to being sincere, we ought to strive to be sincere within the context of the Lord's will as revealed to us through His word.
+We also see the Lord's justice. The prophets of Baal proclaimed that the Lord is real after they got shown up in this little altar competition. Despite that, the Lord, in his justice, allowed all of them to die. It may seem strange because they finally acknowledge that the Lord is the one true God. This is because we have lost sight of the nature of God. We so often associate God with the characteristics of love, grace, and mercy. While that is completely true, God is also wrathful towards sin, jealous when praise goes to anyone but Him, and just in that he punishes us for sin. Stories like this help us realize the fullness of the grace that was shown on the cross. God easily could have slayed all of us in our sin and been completely justified as in this case but He chose not to. He paved a way for people undeserving.
+Clearly, King Ahab hated Elijah. While Elijah spoke words of truth from the Lord, Ahab just say it as bad news. Ahab even placed the blame on Elijah when he said "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"(v16). In living in his pride and sincere foolishness, he failed to see that HE was the cause of all of Israel's trouble. He was just too blind to see it as he was living contrary to the commands of the Lord. We should never be so blind as to discount words of truth because of our own pride. It may suck and reveal a lot about our hearts but repentance trumps continuing to live in sin.
+Back to the topic of sincerity: there is no doubt that the prophets of Baal were sincere in their belief that Baal was the true god. This is evident through their actions. Believing in Baal wasn't just some front. They actually believed Baal was real, hence why they accepted the challenge. Once the prayed to Baal and fire did not come, they slashed themselves with swords. Let's be real. That's just crazy talk there. You have to be pretty darn sure that the god that you are praying to is real to think that slashing yourself with a sword (per his commands) will do something. They were completely sincere in their belief that Baal was real. However, they were sincerely wrong. Again, sincerity means absolutely nothing if your sincerity to follow is placed in anything that is contrary to God himself. When it comes to being sincere, we ought to strive to be sincere within the context of the Lord's will as revealed to us through His word.
+We also see the Lord's justice. The prophets of Baal proclaimed that the Lord is real after they got shown up in this little altar competition. Despite that, the Lord, in his justice, allowed all of them to die. It may seem strange because they finally acknowledge that the Lord is the one true God. This is because we have lost sight of the nature of God. We so often associate God with the characteristics of love, grace, and mercy. While that is completely true, God is also wrathful towards sin, jealous when praise goes to anyone but Him, and just in that he punishes us for sin. Stories like this help us realize the fullness of the grace that was shown on the cross. God easily could have slayed all of us in our sin and been completely justified as in this case but He chose not to. He paved a way for people undeserving.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Faith and Provision
1 Kings 17
Elijah was such a man of faith. It's pretty crazy to see his unwavering obedience to the Lord. The Lord told him to say declare that the Lord would cause a drought in Israel. Let's keep in mind that king Ahab and his wife Jezebel followed Baal, a false god. Not only so but they believe that Baal was the god that yielded rain and plentiful harvest. Let's also keep in mind that Ahad had many of his own 'prophets' and a large military. I don't know about you guys but this isn't the type of man that I would want to cross paths with. In comparison, it's like asking some freshman to start a fight with the varsity captain of the football team. The potential for a beating is quite great. Elijah didn't care. He did it anyway.
And when he did, the Lord told him where to go. There, the Lord provided food and water in a time of drought and famine. After that, Elijah went to a widow and asked for food. God provided not only for Elijah but the widow as well in that her oil and flour (for baking bread) never ran out.
Each step of the way, Elijah turned to God for strength and provision and each step of the way, God provided. Notice that trusting God was not just a one time thing for Elijah. It was habitual and never ceasing. So many times, we depend on the Lord in our times of trials and hardship. Let's make dependence upon the Lord a lifestyle, much like Elijah in this passage. Because truly, without the Lord we are nothing.
Elijah was such a man of faith. It's pretty crazy to see his unwavering obedience to the Lord. The Lord told him to say declare that the Lord would cause a drought in Israel. Let's keep in mind that king Ahab and his wife Jezebel followed Baal, a false god. Not only so but they believe that Baal was the god that yielded rain and plentiful harvest. Let's also keep in mind that Ahad had many of his own 'prophets' and a large military. I don't know about you guys but this isn't the type of man that I would want to cross paths with. In comparison, it's like asking some freshman to start a fight with the varsity captain of the football team. The potential for a beating is quite great. Elijah didn't care. He did it anyway.
And when he did, the Lord told him where to go. There, the Lord provided food and water in a time of drought and famine. After that, Elijah went to a widow and asked for food. God provided not only for Elijah but the widow as well in that her oil and flour (for baking bread) never ran out.
Each step of the way, Elijah turned to God for strength and provision and each step of the way, God provided. Notice that trusting God was not just a one time thing for Elijah. It was habitual and never ceasing. So many times, we depend on the Lord in our times of trials and hardship. Let's make dependence upon the Lord a lifestyle, much like Elijah in this passage. Because truly, without the Lord we are nothing.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
1 Kings 15-16
In summary, 1 Kings 15-16 give a list of the kings of Judah and Israel post-Rehoboam/Jeroboam. It's a bit disheartening to read over and over again that this king "did evil in the eyes of the Lord." By the time chapter 16 is over, we are generations removed from King David and King Solomon, seemingly the last two kings that walked with the Lord (with the exception of Asa, King of Judah). I've read about Elijah in 1 Kings (starting in chapter 17) before but even if I hadn't, you just get the feeling that God is about to give everyone a nice big wake up call.
At the same time, this passage really made me wonder. In His mercy, God withheld judgement upon the kings and the nations but it was definitely on its way. Take a step back and look at our nation, one founded on the principles of Christianity. How far have we, as a nation, strayed from God? The other day I was reading an article on CNN about some Canadian high school in which the teachers performed a lap dance at a pep assembly. That in itself was pretty bad. Then to read the comments "Well, it's no big deal. Kids see this stuff on MTV anyway" broke me a little bit more. I don't know what's worse, the fact that people are saying that such a thing is okay, especially in the context of a public school, or the fact that our culture is growing moral-less. Regardless, this is not the life that we are called to live in as Christians. Though our culture may dictate 'right and wrong', we answer to God, the ultimate authority. I am beginning to see more clearly what the Bible means when it says that we are called not to be apart of this world.
At the same time, this passage really made me wonder. In His mercy, God withheld judgement upon the kings and the nations but it was definitely on its way. Take a step back and look at our nation, one founded on the principles of Christianity. How far have we, as a nation, strayed from God? The other day I was reading an article on CNN about some Canadian high school in which the teachers performed a lap dance at a pep assembly. That in itself was pretty bad. Then to read the comments "Well, it's no big deal. Kids see this stuff on MTV anyway" broke me a little bit more. I don't know what's worse, the fact that people are saying that such a thing is okay, especially in the context of a public school, or the fact that our culture is growing moral-less. Regardless, this is not the life that we are called to live in as Christians. Though our culture may dictate 'right and wrong', we answer to God, the ultimate authority. I am beginning to see more clearly what the Bible means when it says that we are called not to be apart of this world.
Monday, March 1, 2010
1 Kings 14
I'm struggling to see a deeper truth in today's reading. In this, we see God's justice against King Jeroboam of Israel and King Rehoboam of Judah. At this point, both Israel and Judah had fallen far from God in their idol worship. Both Judah and Israel were stricken by war and defeat. The Egyptians attacked Jerusalem and carried off the treasures of the temple built by Solomon.
We see a prime example of the effects of sin. The people were indulging in it. They were more concerned about money and idol worship than the Lord. Instead of drawing closer to God, they became more distant. And while our God loves, He also punishes because He is just. We see His punishment and anger in these chapters.
On a side note, I've been analyzing worship song lyrics lately. Honestly, about 80% of the songs that we sing, I cannot truthfully sing. I wish I could sing them with full honesty but to sing such words would be lying. I find this especially true when singing songs not about who God is but about my response to God. I feel as if it makes more sense to sing praise to God about God than praises to God about what I will do for God. I change. God doesn't. I can't pinpoint the song but one of them has the line "Jesus, you're all this heart is living for." Trust me, I wish I could sing this but I just can't. I know my heart is sinful and each time I sin, my lifestyle is contrary to such words. However, take a long like "How Great is Our God". Regardless of the condition of my heart at that moment, I can sing such a song because they are words of everlasting truth regarding the greatness of God.
A few other times, I'm under the impression that we don't fully understand what we're singing. Take "In the Secret" for example. In that song, we tell God that we want to see His face. If I remember correctly, the only person the bible to see God's face was blinded as God was just so holy and glorious. Or take the song "Listen to Our Hearts." Agreed - words are not enough to proclaim the majesty of the Lord. However, I don't think that means that God should thus listen to my heart. Do we really want God to listen to all the negativity, anger, and bad thoughts that are going on inside of us? We're all sinners. Our hearts are filthy and as it says in Jeremiah 17:9, our hearts are deceitful as well. This isn't a bash on song selection but it's a call for worshipers to understand what they're singing as to not proclaim false claims before the Lord.
We see a prime example of the effects of sin. The people were indulging in it. They were more concerned about money and idol worship than the Lord. Instead of drawing closer to God, they became more distant. And while our God loves, He also punishes because He is just. We see His punishment and anger in these chapters.
On a side note, I've been analyzing worship song lyrics lately. Honestly, about 80% of the songs that we sing, I cannot truthfully sing. I wish I could sing them with full honesty but to sing such words would be lying. I find this especially true when singing songs not about who God is but about my response to God. I feel as if it makes more sense to sing praise to God about God than praises to God about what I will do for God. I change. God doesn't. I can't pinpoint the song but one of them has the line "Jesus, you're all this heart is living for." Trust me, I wish I could sing this but I just can't. I know my heart is sinful and each time I sin, my lifestyle is contrary to such words. However, take a long like "How Great is Our God". Regardless of the condition of my heart at that moment, I can sing such a song because they are words of everlasting truth regarding the greatness of God.
A few other times, I'm under the impression that we don't fully understand what we're singing. Take "In the Secret" for example. In that song, we tell God that we want to see His face. If I remember correctly, the only person the bible to see God's face was blinded as God was just so holy and glorious. Or take the song "Listen to Our Hearts." Agreed - words are not enough to proclaim the majesty of the Lord. However, I don't think that means that God should thus listen to my heart. Do we really want God to listen to all the negativity, anger, and bad thoughts that are going on inside of us? We're all sinners. Our hearts are filthy and as it says in Jeremiah 17:9, our hearts are deceitful as well. This isn't a bash on song selection but it's a call for worshipers to understand what they're singing as to not proclaim false claims before the Lord.
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