BECAUSE GOD IS...
Read Time: 3 min 25 sec
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can’t contain Him. Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?”
Francis Chan
THE GOOD STUFF
4W LIFE DEVOTIONAL 02: WORSHIP
“...set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.“
- Colossians 3:2
My favorite events, songs, and stories all have a moment of turning – a “shimmer of joy,” “pivot-point,” or “the Colts in 2012.” These are joyfully echoed in moment-by-moment acts of determined worship. But how?
I tell my heart, “Because God is _____, I will _____.”
Because God is...
a lover of his enemies, I will take cookies to my grumpy neighbor.
slow to anger, I will forbear with my teenager.
an initiator, I will initiate, again.
completely in control, I will stop and rest.
Starting with who God is and ending with a tangible response means that the next moment ceases to be about my performance. It’s the setting of my mind on the specifics of God’s character that calls down the reality of the things that are above.
PRAYER
Daddy, as we get to know you through your Word and creation, you reveal your nuance, your character, your heart, and your responses to us. We desperately want to respond to who you are in those turning moments. Give us grace to set our minds on you, and vital, enduring faith for our days that accumulate into weeks, and years of a joy-increasing walk with Jesus. Still my sighs and fill my mouth with song, sweet Spirit. Set us ablaze in Christ. Amen.
Marcie Morrison | Member at Redeemer
STORY
WORSHIP IN THE SECRET PLACES
As far back as I can remember I was an anxious worshiper. I was constantly thinking of what others thought of me or if I would be distracting in worship if I engaged more. It was exhausting and kept me from magnifying and connecting with Christ.
Recently, God has shown me how to worship in the secret places - the moments alone with Him where I sing what I think about Him with no holds barred. I'm sure it looks different from person to person, but I dance like a little kid and sing as loudly and off-key as I please. I experience my greatest joy and adoration when I’m with Him like that.
As much as I’ve grown in those secret places, I realize I’ve grown exponentially in corporate worship. God has expanded my capacity to worship Him through music because of that time alone with Him. I sway and move and sing and shout and kneel and cry free from anxiety because that’s where my heart is at and that’s what it looks like in the secret places. I know now no matter what it looks or sounds like, God delights in it and is worthy of it.
Megan Hendon | Member at Redeemer
STAFF PICKS
ACTIVITY
Recently my wife Beth and I have started playing pickleball, and we love it.
In fact, we have built it into our weekly rhythm by playing at least one time per week together. If you haven't seen pickleball played, it is basically a cross between tennis and ping pong. The game is played on a "shrunken" tennis court using a paddle that is a little larger than a ping pong paddle and a wiffle ball. I love the game because I am able to cover this smaller court with my replacement knees and because it is a very social game that is played by people of all ages. It is typically played as doubles and games don't last long, so several people can rotate on and off of a court to play. I would recommend giving this game a try. As it's popularity increases, there are more and more courts being built around the area.
- Mark Wiley, Executive Pastor