Oh That Men Would Praise the Lord

I am overwhelmed with the call to worship that comes from the throne room of God. We see it over and over again, a cry for the men created in the image of God to rise up in worship and enter into intimate fellowship with the Father.

Psalm 107:8–9 (KJV): "⁸ Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! ⁹ For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."

I really can't imagine what the Father must go through when He looks at mankind, knowing His heart's desire for us. Not unlike that day in the Garden of Eden, He is in search of those who will walk in intimate fellowship with Him. And where will He find them? Who will rise to the call and walk with Him?

John 4:23–24 (NKJV) - "²³ But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

True worship is not using God for what you can get out of Him, but the relationship does come with the promise of good gifts in abundance. True worship is not about the worshiper, no, it is not about you, and it is not about me; it is about the Father. For the Father it is all about us, but from our side it must be all about Him.

As a dad, there is nothing that warmed my heart more than to have one of my kids breeze into the room, climb up on my lap, put a grand hug on my neck and tell me, with no other motive, how much they loved me. That still warms my heart. Not to reduce God to my level, but, if I find such great joy in this simple expression of love, how much more the Father?

When that same child is walking in obedience and conformity to the "house rules" and pouring out the kind of love we're talking about, I look for ways to bless and increase them. I listen for clues to their heart's desire and try and make them come true. I don't do it because of their actions, I do because of my love for them, but their actions of cooperation and obedience put them in a place of increased favor. That favor brings blessing with it, and God tells us that He operates the same way. Look again at the Word:

Psalm 107:8–9 (KJV): "⁸ Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! ⁹ For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."

Look at how the Father responds to our love. He fills to overflowing the one who has been exhaustively chasing after and diligently seeking Him. And what does He fill them with? Goodness! Study that out and you'll be amazed. Let it suffice to say here that those who make the Father the object of their affection and settle for nothing less that the reality of His manifest presence where they can snuggle up to Him, kiss His face and hug His neck will be abundantly rewarded. His presence would be enough, because it is Him we seek, but He then pours out His favor and blessing. It's a love relationship and it's mutually beneficial.

Please don't misunderstand, I don't love God to get blessings, I get blessing because I love God. If I never received another thing in exchange for my devotion, I would still worship Him. He is my loving Father, how could I not?

Psalm 37:4 4 - "Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

As a worshiper, you will go about your day, simply living life in Him, and He will be listening to your heart. As the thoughts and dreams bubble up inside you, He will take notice, and He will bring it to reality for you.

Psalm 91:14–16 (NKJV) - ¹⁴ “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. ¹⁵ He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. ¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”

Will you rise in loving worship and pour yourself into His heart? You will find Him eagerly awaiting your arrival.

The Importance of Discipleship

This week I had the privilege of teaching at the Armada Commission, a school for ministry preparation where those called to ministry can train and prepare within driving distance of their homes and families. Our topic for this week was "Discipleship," and it was a joy to interact with these disciples who are fired up and ready to go forth and change the world.

Discipleship has become passe in the churches of today, but it is still the mandate given to us by God in the Great Commission. Discipleship is our only means of reproduction in the Kingdom of God. Churches who fail to make disciples are nothing more than social clubs soothing the religious conscience. This is not who we are supposed to be.

There are some key elements to discipleship that we should all be out to master.

• discipleship is all about relationship, make the most of the relationships God gives you
• discipleship is not cloning, and we should see the differences that keep us from being blindsided
• discipleship causes increase in both the student and the teacher
• discipleship allows us to fulfill the "Prime Directive" and reproduce the image and likeness of God in our disciples

As we go forward in this time of real "harvest," let's not forget that, as Pastor Wayne always said, "We are here to make disciples, not decisions."