Windows of the Soul

See and Say

The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. (Psalm 97:6)

 

When my children were little, there was a toy for toddlers/infants called see and say.  I don’t remember exactly how it worked, but the goal of the game was to teach youngsters their first words and phrases.  They would see a picture of an object and hear it pronounced.  See and say. 

 

Interestingly, in the verse above it is the heavens that proclaim God’s righteousness.  The heavens speak.  The sky, the clouds, the sun, the moon, and the stars all ‘speak’ and proclaim God’s virtues.  God’s own Creation ‘speaks’ to us each day. 

 

And we see. We observe God’s glory all around as heaven speaks.  Heaven speaks through what is seen.  The beauty of the earth all around us.  The faithfulness of morning and evening.  The mystery of our galaxy.  The miracle of nature.  The majesty and magnificence of the clouds.  The grandeur of the mountains.  The marvel of his creatures.  The wonder of life.  The creativity and endless intelligence of design.  

 

May we see with our eyes, our hearts and our minds the endless awesomeness of this world our Heavenly Father has created.  May we say with one heart, mind and voice the praises due our Almighty King.  Amen. 

Wholehearted and Willing

"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. (1 Chronicles 28:10)

 

Ever been in a relationship that felt like a One Way street?  I have.  I bet you know the feeling.  You give, you call, you invite, you seek.  And your ‘friend’ may be very congenial.  But there’s no giving, calling, inviting, seeking back.  Pretty soon you wake up and say, “Enough!”  Or you confront your friend and have a heart to heart.  Or you drop hints.  It can be frustrating.  Even disappointing.  So, you have to determine if the relationship is worth your time. 

Now, let’s turn the tables.

Have you ever thought about your relationship with God?  Is it a one way street?  You go to God when you want something really, really badly.  Or you pray when you are in trouble.  Or you seek Him when you are super lonely.  Or beside yourself.  And you tell Him all your troubles.  And you hand off your laundry list of: I need, I want, I promise, if You…..  And when you are done and say Amen and go on your way doing your thing and you don’t look back. 

Been there?  Done that?  Guilty? 

Me, too. 

Have you ever thought that your relationship with God could be a two way street?  Rather, should be a two way street. 

The scripture is pretty clear: “acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind”.  Acknowledge.  Serve.  Wholehearted devotion.  A willing mind. 

Let’s start with acknowledge.  It is recognition.  Noticing.  Replying.  Greeting.  Accepting.  Do you acknowledge God everyday?  “Good Morning, Lord.”  Hmm. 

Serve Him.   Ask yourself the question.  How am I serving God?  What tangible things am I doing to serve the Creator of the Universe?  Getting uncomfortable?   We aren’t done yet. 

With wholehearted devotion.  Unreserved affection.  Unconditional loyalty.  Enthusiastic dedication.  Total commitment.  Ouch. 

One more.  With a willing mind.  Ready and alert.  Prepared mentally.  Agreeable consciousness.  Eager intelligence.  MmmHmm. 

So we don’t measure up.  But we have a prescription as to how to increase our capacity.  How to improve.  It’s found in the next verse. 

“If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” 

Simply make time in your heart, in your mind, during your day to seek God.  If you make the effort to seek Him, the Bible is very clear.  He will be found by you.  And you will be showing God your willingness to acknowledge Him.  Your heart will change and you will find yourself wanting your time with God.  You will find yourself serving Him, and committing your heart, mind and time to Him. 

If you seek him, he will be found by you.  You will be glad you did. 

May you find yourself wholeheartedly and willingly seeking, serving and loving the LORD of all the earth. 

Selah. 

Service Learning

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28)

Jesus’ teachings turned conventional religious wisdom upside down in the early first century.  They still do.  Back then, rulers lorded their power over the people.  They still do.  Jesus wants his flock to behave differently.  To become great, we must serve.  To be first, you must be a slave to others.  Jesus’ own example was one of service to others.  He gave his life for ours.

This is the foundational principle of the lives of believers.  We  believe Christ came to earth, lived, and died in our place.  A sacrifice once for all.  Why?  So that we may inherit eternal life.  Eternity with God. 

God wants relationship with his creation.  With us.  And he wants us for all time.  He created us.  But God is eternal.  We are mortal.  Yet our souls live on into eternity ~  either with God or without Him.  Either in heaven or in hell.   We get to choose.  We can choose eternity with God through the saving actions of Jesus Christ.  Or we can choose eternity separated from God and ignore the service and sacrifice of Christ.  Either way, it’s eternity.  It’s just simply we must each answer the question: how do you want to experience it? 

And like begets like.  Christ gave his life for ours.  Believers give their lives back to the Creator.  Living lives in Jesus’ name, allowing God’s perfect will, rather than our own. 

So, the central message today is to do as Jesus did.  Serve.  Love God, love others.  Serve both.  Pretty simple.  By losing our lives in service to others, something pretty neat happens.  We find life.  :)

LORD, may we love you, love our fellow man, and serve you by serving mankind.  Amen.