God is an emotional God. His book is an emotional book. Yet it would seem to me that there are many professing followers of Jesus Christ who seem to lack emotional responses to Him, to His word, to each other, and to sin in themselves and in the world. Yet, I have also known those who can jump up and down in a worship service, and weep and wail whenever it seems appropriate, yet they live in unrepentant sin and have little understanding about the God of the Bible. (more…)
Romans 6:20-23 “When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Like everyone else I started life out worshiping one thing: myself. This way of worship didn’t involve bowing down physically to myself, or even necessarily making loud boasts about myself, but was more like that of most people, an inward exaltation of my own ways and wants above those of others.
As I got older I became deeply infatuated with music. I suppose in my self-seeking way, I wanted to find something that identified with my own life experiences and feelings, whether they were good or whether they were sinful. I found this experience in music. (more…)
John 4:23-24 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
John Piper: “True worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine.” (see whole quote at end)
My Response-
My heart;
Arise!
For Jesus calls,
And yearns for me with jealous love
Grow not weary nor wax dull
All creation tells of his glory above. (more…)
