“It doesn’t matter whether we’re leading a congregation, driving our car, or sitting alone in our bedroom. Everything we do should be governed by one goal–to see Jesus Christ praised, exalted, magnified, lifted up, and obeyed.”  ~Bob Kauflin

Worship. is. life.

Everything we do goes back to who/what we worship. Paul gives a charge to Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” [emphasis mine](1 Tim. 4:12) This charge is for us as well.

We need to set the example.

Matching our private life with our public life is sometimes hard to do but something that I think is necessary to be a genuine follower/worshipper in Christ.

“Every time we open our mouths, we’re leading others… As a leader, every word we say has an increased potential to either confirm our example of genuine worship or take away from it. If our words are foolish, sensual, or sinful during the week, it’s hard for people to take us seriously when our mouths are suddenly filled with God’s praise on Sunday morning.”

People are watching us. whether we realize it or not… they watch how we act and listen to what we say. We are either going to bring them closer to the cross or push them away.As worship leaders and Christians we need to be more aware that our words and conduct carry weight, and ultimately promote God’s name or hurts it.

“God wants our worship to be sincere, not hypocritical; willing not forced; wholehearted, not distracted. In other words, pure.”

How to play?

Skillfully

Skill matters to God. Throughout Scripture we find examples of skill being needed in order to accomplish certain tasks. In Psalm 33.3 David flat out says, “play skillfully on the strings”…

But how much should skill weigh in our lives?

How much does it matter?

“Rightly understood and pursued, skill can mark the difference between ineffectiveness and fruitfulness in our leading. It can contribute to, or hinder people from, engaging with God. That’s why we should make it a priority.” Bob Kaulflin

According to Bob’s book, Worship Matters, there are five things to remember about skill.

• Skill is a gift from God, for His glory

C.J. Mahaney says, “All gifts from God are intended to direct our attention to God and create fresh affection for God.”

• Skill must be developed

Excellence comes not only from being gifted but from practicing harder, longer, and more comprehensively than        others.

• Skill doesn’t make worship more acceptable before God

God isn’t listening to the sound of our music or the quality of our performance. He’s hearing the sound of our        hearts.

• Skill should be evaluated by others

Feedback is invaluable

• Skill is not an end in itself

We minimize spiritual preparation and devote ourselves entirely to musical issues. We evaluate failure or success solely on right tempos, in-tune vocals, and well-executed plans. We take pride in our polished performance rather than being humbled by God’s mercy.

To be honest, the last point creeps up in my life as a worship leader sometimes. It’s really easy to never realize that your focus has been derailed. Skill is vitally important but if it becomes an idol than we’ve lost the reason why we worship.

It’s not to receive praise for ourselves but to point and give all the glory to God.

“O.k. let’s see…

Bible. . . check

Notepad. . . check

Guitar/(instrument). . . check

Trendy outfit. . . check

Big smile. . . check

Your heart. . . uhhh…”

“Your greatest challenge is what you yourself bring to the platform each and every Sunday. Your heart.”

Your heart seems like an easy enough thing to remember to bring, but it’s often overlooked or neglected.

“For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6.45b (NIV)

What we fill our hearts with will eventually come out…it has too. Whether that is through our eyes or our ears it all filters to the heart. It is vitally important to watch what goes into our hearts.

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”       Proverbs 4.23 (NLT)

One thing to remember is that worship is life. Worship is so much more than the 25 min on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night. Worship is daily. Worship is everything we do, say, and think.

“… worship isn’t primarily about music, techniques, liturgies, songs, or methodologies. It’s about our hearts. It’s about what and who we love more than anything.” Bob Kauflin

Before we ever set foot on the stage to lead…

Before we begin to tune our instruments and warm-up our throats…

Before we ever sing or play that first note…

We need to check our hearts. . . because the rest will follow.

I just finished the book, The Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller and here is a paragraph that really got me thinking and to be really honest. . . convicted me.

We habitually and instinctively look to other things besides God and his grace as our justification, hope, significance, and security. We believe the gospel at one level, but at deeper levels we do not. Human approval, professional success, power and influence, family and clan identity –all of these things serve as our heart’s “functional trust” rather than what Christ has done, and as a result we continue to be driven to a great degree by fear, anger, and a lack of self-control. You cannot change such things through mere willpower, through learning Biblical principles and trying to carry them out. We can only change permanently as we take the gospel more deeply into our understanding and into our hearts. We must feed on the gospel, as it were, digesting it and making it part of ourselves. That is how we grow.

It’s a daily battle for me to renew my mind and find my identity in Christ and not through the things of this world. I need to ground who I am in Christ and be who he has called me to be; not try to fit an unattainable mold of who the fashion magazines and other media says I should be.

I need to be truly “rocked” by the gospel and have the words in red mean something to me. They should bring about change, hope, and peace.

This is how we grow.

“I like control. I like to know where God is going, exactly what he is doing, the exact route of how we are getting there, and exactly when we will arrive. I also like  to remind God of his need to behave in ways that fit with my clear ideas of him. For example, God is merciful, good, wise, loving. The problem, then, is that God is beyond the grasp of ever concept I have of him. He is utterly incomprehensible.”  Peter Scazzero

The greatest of all illusions is the illusion of control.

The other day I went to a river with my cousin and we swam in it for a few hours. One thing we noticed was that the current was quite strong in some areas to the point that it made it difficult to hold on the rocks around us or even stand. As we were making our way across the river, we kept slipping due to the current and we would lose our progress. At one point my cousin said something to extent of

“It’s a weird feeling when you let go of the rocks and your have absolutely no control of where you are going.”

This got me thinking. . . How often in life do we actually think we have control of things? Whether it be our finances, our jobs, or our relationships? We get comfortable where we are and actually begin to think we can change circumstances.

The scariest part is the letting go.

We need to realize that we never had control in the first place; but we serve a God who is in control and who has our best interests in mind.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29.11

The truth is, is that the more control we give back to God, the more freedom and peace we experience.

The greatest of all illusions is the illusion of control.

We will never find God unless he first seeks us, but we should remember that he can do so in very different ways.   – Timothy Keller

Lately I’ve been in a season of reflecting. Trying to take stock of what I have, the special moments I share with people, and just being thankful for how blessed I truly am. But from time to time I can get complacent and I forget my salvation story.

I forget why Christ died for me.

I forget how bad it was for him.

I forget what true grace and love really mean.

Jesus Christ, who had all the power in the world, saw us enslaved by the very things we thought would free us. So he emptied himself of his glory and became a servant (Philippians 2). He laid aside the infinities and immensities of his being and , at the cost of his life, paid the debt for our sins, purchasing us the only place our heart can rest, in his Father’s house. [excerpt from Prodigal God]

As I have done lately, I would encourage you to take a moment and remember what Christ did for you.

Remember your salvation story.

Remember the price that was paid.

Remember the sacrifice and love that dying on the cross took.

Truly grasping what He has done for us will transform us from the inside out. When we see and understand the beauty of what He’s done for us, we will have no choice but to be attracted to Him, and to be drawn toward His heart.

Remember.

I’m currently reading a book called, The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller. Last night I read a few passages that shook me up a bit, and made me re-examine my own life and how I view my relationship with the Lord. Here are some of those passages:

“…In the same way, religious people commonly live very moral lives, but their goal is to get leverage over God, to control him, to put him in a position where they think he owes them…If you believe that God ought to bless you and help you because you have worked so hard to obey him and be a good person, then Jesus may be your helper, your example, even your inspiration, but he is not [emphasis mine] your Savior, You are serving as your own Savior.”

“If you seek to control God through your obedience, then all your morality is a way to use God to make him give you the things in life you really want.”

{Big gulp} If I were to be honest I sometimes definitely “remain obedient” purely hoping I’ll get something in return from God.

It’s not about my actions, it’s about the attitude of my heart.

Why am I obedient?

Why do I serve?

Is it cause I really want more of God, or is it because I want what I think he can give me?

How about you?

I was out on my scooter today and traveled through this dirt road. It was absolutely beautiful out and a perfect day for a ride.The road that connects on the other side of this dirt road has just been paved and is a much smoother ride…so when I entered this road I thought to myself, “how come they can’t just pave this road too?” but then I got to thinking…

I like the dirt road.

I like the road less traveled.

Sure, it’s got potholes, rocks, twists and turns, and definitely is harder to travel on…But when I think about this concept spiritually, I think we are called to this.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.(NIV) But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (NLT) Matthew 7.13-14

The road less traveled keeps me on my toes, keeping me from growing complacent. You can’t just coast along, it requires your full attention. It requires nothing to make the easy choice and take the easy way out. The road less traveled will cost you, but it will be more than worth it.

Maybe you are currently at a crossroads in your life. Maybe you have some big decisions that need to be made and you’re not sure which road to take. Let the verse in Matthew echo in your heart and help you with the choice you need to make.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost

I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle.  I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.  ~Mother Teresa

Today is rainy. As I sit in my living room with a hot cup of tea, staring out the windows and watching the rain fall, I can’t help but notice how everything looks a little more sad when it’s raining. The trees look cold. They look like they have their heads down and are huddling together for warmth. I also notice how sometimes a rainy day plays with my own emotions and puts me in an altered, more pensive mood.

As I begin to reflect on my life and equate rain with spiritual hardship, I hear a whisper in my soul saying,  ”rain is necessary; it brings growth…life.” Much like in our spiritual lives, hardships, trials, and going through the valley is a necessary part of our lives. That is how we grow as Christians.

I’m reminded of the verse in Matthew 28 “And surely I am with you always…” I find comfort in that. I know that whatever I’m going through ultimately will bring about growth and strengthen who I am and my relationship with Christ.

Maybe you are going through something in your life. Maybe you feel like it’s raining on you. Find peace and comfort and know that whatever you may be going through will cause you to grow if you allow it too.

So for today…the rain is OK.

When was the last time you just stopped to stare at the night sky? When was the last time you stopped what you were doing to enjoy a sunset? When was the last time you got up early to experience a sunrise?

God is awesome. I mean really awesome, he created the whole universe. Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” God breathed out the stars! He is awesome… worthy of awe. When was the last time you were awed by God?

I never mean to get to a place where I lose that sense of awe for God, where the extraordinary becomes the ordinary. Where his mighty becomes my mundane. Where his creation doesn’t move me. But it happens doesn’t it? We get too busy in life to appreciate what he made for us. We get so focused on our agenda that we get tunnel vision and our scope on life narrows. Our heads are down.

Stop, and look up! Show God affection by being awed by what he made. Worship him by admiring his craftsmanship.

Go to a beach, stand before an ocean and watch a sunset…its awesome! Go to the mountains and watch a sunrise…its awesome! Go to a field in the country and stare at the stars…its awesome!

God is incredible. He is big, mighty, and awesome…we just need to look up.