Jesus,
I want my love for you to override my love for myself. If I do not have this love for you, then I pray you overwhelm me with the reality of who you are. If necessary, lead me into brokeness, so that I may repent and say “I love You” more genuinely.
Who…
The answer? The Holy Spirit, as you may have guessed.
The real question is: Do we recognize the fullness of who He is in our lives?
We have this desire as believers to “do something” or to “know the will of God.” But in order to do anything we must be filled with the Holy Spirit! He must be overflowing out of us! Because it is from this overflow of the Spirit that we are empowered to live! It’s through His filling that we are able to live this life in Christ.
We must not ever forget the integral role the Spirit plays in our life. It was the Father’s love that sent Jesus, His Son. It was Jesus who died for us to restore relationship with God. It’s the Holy Spirit that fills us daily to live life devoted to pursuing our restored relationship. This is where the difference in us is discovered! This is where true change begins! The Holy Spirit motivates and spurs us on towards Christ-likeness! Is this all He is? No! But this is a great place to start as you discover all He desires to be to us.
The Holy Spirit is within every child of God. Scripture confirms this (1 John 4:11-16). But we still must pray and seek the daily filling. There is a daily pursuit that must happen. If we don’t constantly seek our God in His fullness (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) we won’t ever experience the fullness of who He wants to be in us and through us. Our lives are not our own anymore, we have been bought and it is for His glory. If this is the truth, then how can we not seek the fullness of who He is?! He desires to be known! Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you into a deeper relationship! Behold, He stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 3:20), desiring you and an intimate relationship with you! Beloved, may our fervent prayer be for nothing to stand in the way of us throwing that door wide open and letting Him into our lives!
I recently read this provoking tidbit:
When we worship the Creator of the universe and Lord over all, are you and I overwhelmed with the realization that He who holds all power and is majestic above all? And that He loves us as the sinful people we are at the same time? It’s actually quite humbling when you stop and think about it.
As you think about that, also consider your response in worship. I know I have.
This may sound condescending, but if you and I aren’t responding to God as He reveals Himself through those times when we gather together for corporate praise, then you and I aren’t truly worshiping!
Worship is a response, always! If it’s not a response to the majesty of God, then we’re merely murmuring man-made lyrics, and at best simply expressing to God how we feel about Him.
True worship can’t spring up from a well of feelings we’ve initiated. Worship comes from the overflow of a heart in awe of our God. There is no point for us to mumble these words or clap to the music if we aren’t truly responding to God.
My encouragement to you is to really consider where you are at right now, in this moment. Consider where your heart and mind are at in those moments of corporate worship. It has certainly helped me, and it may also help you to pray something like this:
“Father, I want to worship you. I want to see you reveal yourself to me so I can give praise the praise you deserve. Lord remind me of all you’ve done to save me, and of all you continue to work in my life. Remind me so I can thank you and praise you for your love and kindness to me. Father, if there is anything in me preventing you from revealing yourself, I ask for you to send me your Holy Spirit to reveal to me what I need to repent of so that I may focus my heart on you and you only. Humble me Lord, bow my heart low before you. In your presence is where I want to be, with nothing hindering me.”
“For what exactly are we praising God? Are we responding to God’s character and works, or merely expressing ourselves?”
- Michael Horton
Sometimes, I have to ask myself on a Sunday, “why am I here right now?” See, if my faith is about me and my needs, then Sunday morning becomes a time of self-glorification and consumerism. If something isn’t satisfying enough, I’ll go home unfulfilled and maybe even upset that church services “wasn’t good.”
But Jeremiah the prophet recognizes:
Jeremiah 10:23 (NLT)
I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.
Wow! When we surrender, and acknowledge that God is bigger than us, bigger than our struggles, when we say, “Lord your thoughts are not my thoughts and your ways are above mine,” then we’re allowing the possibility that God might know something we don’t! At that point of humility, we are able to come honestly and worship God in ALL areas of life, and our life of worship is how we bring glory God. That’s the point! To point and say Jesus this is all for you, not about me. This is how we enter into true worship because we’ve surrendered self, and turned our attention to the One who deserves it all.
Matthew 22:36-37 (NLT)
“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law of Moses?” [37] Jesus replied, “’you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’”
Jesus requires EVERYTHING! This offering is our worship
