Job said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” -Job 1:21

Job had a distinct order regarding his religious experience. Though he enjoyed many benefits from the hand of God as well as personal setbacks, his primary focus and appreciation was for God Himself. He makes this clear in the early hours of his drama.

Job gives us insight into his theology, when he says that he came into the world naked and he will leave the world similarly, but the more important thing was knowing God and having a relationship with Him.

The Lord does give and the Lord does take away, but the real deal is not what I get or what I miss out on. The real deal is God Himself. That is the most important thing.

The Christian experience is a “give and take” experience, with God being the Giver and the Taker. Sometimes things go in a way that we really like. At other times, things do not go according to our preferences. Good and bad is the Christian life, because God is the Writer of our stories. Job chose not to be controlled by the wins and losses. Job found something more satisfying. Job had “dialed into” the most important thing that any Christian can experience and that is a relationship with God.

If you are a Christian who focuses more on what you get or do not get from God, then your Christian experience will be as up and down as your “status updates.” If you see a relationship with God as being the most important thing, then you will be steady and satisfied, even when things are not going according to your preferences.

The following questions are good x-ray questions for you to examine your heart to see what is more important to you: Who God is or what God does. The answers to these questions should not be either/or as much as which is more important. While both are good in our understanding and practice of God in our lives, the better one for the God-centered Christian is a high affection for God, rather than getting my earthly expectations met.

What is your priority in conversation?

1. Do you prefer to talk about God, who he is, and other aspects of his character? -or-
2. Do you prefer to talk about what you have received from God?

What is your priority in music?

1. Are your music preferences more about what you receive from God? -or-
2. Would you prefer to sing praise to him because of who he is?

What is your priority in counseling?

1. Is your counsel to others more problem-centered and problem-solving? -or-
2. Is your counsel to others more about giving them a bigger vision of and greater appreciation for God?

What is your priority in reading?

1. Do you pursue self-help books as your primary reading material? -or-
2. Do you pursue understanding and appreciating God as your primary desire?

What is your priority in gratitude?

1. Are you more apt to express gratitude for the good things you receive from God? -or-
2. Are you more apt to express gratitude because God is God, regardless of your present circumstances?

The answers to the following questions should be: 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 2

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From Bob Kauflin’s Worship Matters Blog

I’m happy to let you know that you can listen to samples from our new album, Sons & Daughters, over at the Sovereign Grace Music website. We’ll be releasing it next Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the WorshipGod09 conference.

The songs are primarily meant for congregational worship, and focus on themes related to 1 John 3:1: See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

The project came out of a perceived lack of songs that help us meditate on the unfathomable love God has shown us in adopting us through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:5). We are now part of God’s family – in Christ we will forever be the objects of God’s particular and passionate mercy and love. We are not only forgiven, we are co-heirs with Christ, and never again have to doubt God’s care for us.  That biblical reality, rather than leaving us focused on ourselves, drives us once again to proclaim the greatness of the God whose grace turns hopeless rebels into the precious children.

“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!” (Gal. 4:6)

Go over to the Sovereign Grace Music site and let me know what you think.

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If you are looking for some excellent worship music, then let me make a suggestion. One of our favorite CDs is Songs for the Cross-Centered Life.

good homework assignment for counselees

If you want to keep the main thing the main thing, then the main thing you need to be focused on is the Cross of Christ.

Paul reminded us in 1 Corinthians 2:2 that he had made a decision to know nothing, but Christ and him crucified. Paul knew a lot of things. Therefore, if he considered this news to be the best news and the news he must remember first, then it behooves me to do the same.

There is no news more important than this news: Christ died for our sins. If your music selections are not theologically rich, such that they bring your heart and mind to the Cross, then I suggest you rethink your music selections.

Let your music know nothing but Christ and him crucified. Nothing is more refreshing, motivating and life changing.

From The Pastor’s Priorities, p. 133

In all our preaching, we must never lose sight of the hill called Calvary, where the Son of Man was killed in our place. Regardless of the text or topic at hand, there must be some view of Calvary in every sermon.

Your congregation should experience the amazing and comforting sight of the crucified Savior each and every time you preach. They should anticipate the sight of Calvary in every sermon and rejoice when it comes into view, and all the more when the cross is not immediately obvious in the text.

“Where is the hill?” they should be asking. ”Where is that blessed hill on which our precious Savior died?”

We should exalt Christ’s finished work in our sermons so as to comfort the converted and to convict the unbeliever.

Spurgeon’s example should inspire us:

“I received some years ago orders from my Master to stand at the foot of the cross until he comes. He has not come yet, but I mean to stand there until he does.”

Let us stand with the prince of preachers, gentlemen. As we preach the whole counsel of God, let us keep the cross central. By doing so, we will indeed be watching our doctrine.

To purchase this CD, click HERE

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Worship is what we do. Worshippers are who we are. Worshipping is how we were wired. We were born to worship and this is our passion all day long. The question should never be, “Do you worship?” The answer to that question is always yes. The more important question is what do you worship?

When I think about what I worship, it is easier for me to think in two broad categories.

• I am either worshipping the Creator
• Or I am worshipping the Creature (Self)

Here are some thoughts for you to reflect upon to see where you primarily land as a worshipper.

Five Practical Worship Behaviors

1. Your kid has a smelly diaper, but you ignore it hoping your spouse will respond first
2. You measure (in your mind) the size of the ice cream in the bowl, hoping to get the larger helping
3. You see someone carrying several packages and you immediately get up to help them
4. You park further from the church building to give someone else the closer spot
5. When someone cuts you off in traffic you quietly praise God under your breath because you know your greatest problem in life has been resolved at the Cross

Five Heart Worship Attitudes

1. Your first thought when things don’t seem right is to think the best rather than the worst
2. You rarely compare yourself to others, but when you do you are more aware of the “log” in your eye than the “speck” in your brother’s eye
3. It is rare for you to think negatively about people
4. You’re consistently modeling Paul’s thought of outdoing one another in showing honor
5. Gratitude is your natural heart disposition, which typically comes out with the words “Thank you”.

It is very easy for me to place myself in the center of the universe and God becomes displaced to the periphery. Jerry Bridges has been very helpful in my walk with God by reminding me to preach the Gospel to myself every day. It is this daily (and many times during the day) reminder of the Gospel that keeps my heart somewhat adjusted toward a God-centered worldview.

Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. (Mark 10:45) And he demonstrated serving by giving his life as a sacrifice on the Cross to save my wretched soul. Though I cannot do what he did, and thankfully God does not call me to do that, I can still model the Gospel by seeking to serve others more than myself.

And serving is the practical essence of worship: modeling the Gospel before others.

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John Stackhouse, Jr. at Christianity Today has written a helpful article for your worship leader and worship band. He gives us five reasons why we should consider turning the volume down a notch or two during the Sunday meeting. Here is the short version: 

1. Turning it up can be a “cheap trick” to add energy to the room.
2. When not in tune don’t try to compensate by volume.
3. Church systems typically can’t handle volume.
4. Remember the older members of your body who may not be as blessed.
5. The point is to lead your people to engage God, not perform for them.

Bob Kauflin at Worship Matters also has some helpful insight on the subject.

The following is an excerpt from Joel Harris at the Rebelution Site. The article is very helpful, but my other motive in posting the article is to introduce to you, if you haven’t found it yet, a very good website for your teens to check out. Enjoy!

We should be honest. Nowadays, when someone mentions worship, most people think of music. You know, that time in the church service when everyone sings. Lots of Christian recording artists make “worship projects” with hit singles on them.

However, if we search God’s Word faithfully and look to mature Christians who possess wise insight, we will quickly see that worship is much more than songs. Worship is what we were created for, it’s what we’ll spend eternity doing, and it encompasses our hearts as well as our actions.

“Worship – whether an inner act of the heart, or an outward act of the body, or of the congregation collectively – is a magnifying of God. That is, it is an act that shows how magnificent He is. It is an act that reveals or expresses how great and glorious He is. Worship is all about consciously reflecting the worth or value of God.” - John Piper, Desiring God Ministries

“Even our tears of repentance needs to be washed in the blood of Christ.” –Owen

Praise is simply appreciation made public. When we enjoy an experience fully, we burst into happy, spontaneous praise. And we invite others to join in that praise: “Wasn’t that a great meal?” “Isn’t this a surprisingly good book?” We urge others to add their instruments to our grand symphony of delight, to play and sing and laugh with us, because we believe in its delightfulness. Even our hymns of joy invite heaven and earth to sing and for that sounding joy to be repeated.

P. 98 Surprised by Laughter: The Comic World of C. S. Lewis