Worship for Today: God's grace prevails where I fail!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Deuteronomy 6:4-5.,

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength."

These two verses, starting with the Shema, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord
our God, the Lord is one." and finishing with what Jesus himself
described as the greatest command, were both quoted by him in Mark
12:29-30 to one of the teachers of the law.

The first verse, called the "Shema" is a centerpiece of the morning
and evening Jewish prayer services. It speaks of the monotheistic
essence of God. The triune God: the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit we worship is the only God. There is only one God existing in
three persons.

The second verse Jesus called the most important command, "Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your strength." In the passage in Mark, Jesus went on to quote
Leviticus 19:18 as the second greatest command, "Love your neighbor as
yourself." Jesus' comment there was "There is no commandment greater
than these."

The second verse, Deuteronomy 6:5, grips my heart this morning. To
love the Lord with all of my heart, all of my soul and all of my
strength is something! There isn't much left of my life beyond all of
my heart, all of my soul and all of my strength. Is the Lord due all
of this from me? How does this look? How do I do it? How do I arrive
at that place where it could be said of me that I love the Lord that
much?

I am afraid I fail miserably! Certainly our Lord is due this from me.
The Lord is my creator: he brought me into life. The Lord is my
redeemer: he paid the price for my sin. I am his. I owe everything I
am and have to him. The Lord is certainly due this from me.

When all the trappings of church involvement are stripped away, when
all my self-perceived "good points", spiritual disciplines, Bible
reading, prayer, etc. are all stripped away, there is just this: do I
love the Lord with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my
strength? I fail miserably!

It is just at this point that I celebrate the grace of God! I find I
am utterly helpless to do what would establish for me my own
righteousness. I find that I am completely at the mercy of God's
wonderful, matchless grace! He loves me, he is merciful toward me, his
kindness is expressed to me, not because of anything I have done.
Indeed, I am just incapable within myself! It is God's grace that he
loves me. It is God's grace that he accepts me. It is entirely God's
grace that will present me before him "without fault and with great
joy"!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God saves me from my sin!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Deuteronomy 5:1,

"Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, O Israel, the decrees and
laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow
them."

This chapter begins with Moses recounting the ten commandments for
Israel. He tells Israel to learn them and be sure to follow them. It
doesn't take much effort to learn them, but to follow them is another
matter. The resulting history of Israel and the actions of all mankind
demonstrate that something is wrong. We are unable to keep this law
even though we have learned it.

When Jesus Christ came to earth, he made some very sobering
observations about the law. In the Sermon on the Mount he explained
that just looking at a woman with lust is a violation of the seventh
command. Hating a brother is a violation of the sixth. What I learn
from Jesus Christ is that the law manifests a problem with my heart. I
am a sinner, a violator of the law and will face the ultimate
consequence of that on judgment day!

As I read the gospels, though, something wonderful is made known! In
Matthew 1:21 Joseph is told to name his baby Jesus, "because he will
save his people from their sins." The Son of God came to save me from
my sin! When Jesus went to stay at Zacchaeus' house, in Luke 19, Jesus
said, "Today salvation has come to this house... For the Son of Man
came to see and to save what was lost." Verses 9-10. How wonderful is
this?! "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
What mercy! What love!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Deuteronomy 4:23-24,

"Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he
made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of
anything the Lord your God has forbidden. For the Lord your God is a
consuming fire, a jealous God."

As Moses speaks to the Israelites prior to their entering and taking
the promised land from its inhabitants, he warns them of the trap of
idolatry, a sin that will plague Israel for generations. The writer of
Hebrews quotes this passage in Hebrews 12:29. There the writer of
Hebrews warns his readers to worship God acceptably "with with
reverence and awe." Just how do we engage in this type of worship?

Jesus made an important statement about worship when he spoke to the
Samaritan woman at the well. There, the woman attempted to start a
theological quibble with Jesus about the proper location for the
worship of God. Jesus cut her off by saying that the time had come for
true worshippers to worship the Father in spirit and in truth, the
location was not going to be an issue. He told her that God the Father
sought such worshippers and that worshippers needed to worship God in
spirit and in truth. John 4:21-24.

Today we recognize that all who truly embrace Jesus Christ in faith
are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, Romans 8:9. We are a new creation, 2
Corinthians 5:17, and as such have become spiritually quickened. As we
worship God as his children, we do so in spirit. It is the "truth"
part that Jesus told the Samaritan woman of that seems to me to be
something of vital importance today.

We live in a day where many church schisms and "isms" and cults and
theological persuasions prevail. As one considers where to go to
church it is almost like going to the ice cream store where you can
get 31 flavors, whatever it is that suits you. It seems as though
whatever you want can be found. However, in the midst of all this, the
thought strikes me that the object of our worship has something to say
about how he will be worshipped in a manner pleasing to him. It is not
up to us, but up to him to decide what is acceptable worship. Moses'
direction to the Israelites is very clear here - do not engage in
idolatry! Do not define God as other than what he has revealed
himself to be and do not worship an invention you cling to.

Basing our worship on truth is vital. That is the kind of worship our
God requires. As the writer of Hebrews says, "Worship God acceptably
with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: God's judgment is terrifying, horrific and certain!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Deuteronomy 3:26b,

"'That is enough,' the Lord said. 'Do not speak to me anymore about
this matter.'"

A careful reading of Numbers 20:1-13, reveals that it was a lack of
Moses' trust in the Lord that earned him the Lord's judgment. Moses
would not be allowed to take the Israelites into the promised land
when he struck the rock that was to provide water. The Lord told him
to speak to the rock but he struck it twice with his staff. In Numbers
20:12, the Lord says to Moses about his action, "Because you did not
trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites,
you will not bring this community into the land I give them." This is
the judgment from the Lord Moses fell under. When he tried to talk to
the Lord about it, the Lord told him to not bring it up again.

Such are the judgments of God. We know that the Lord is patient. His
patience brings about his purposes, "Do you show contempt for the
riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that
God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" Romans 2:4. We also see
that timely repentance (and the reverse) can alter God's intentions,
"If at any time I [the Lord] announce that a nation or kingdom is to
be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned
repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the
disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a
nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil
in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I
had intended to do for it."

However, when the Lord has decreed his final judgment, it becomes a
fixed reality with no possible appeal. The judgment of Moses is an
example of just this. "Do not speak to me anymore about this matter."
The ultimate and certain judgment of God is found at the end of his
patience. As that point is reached, nothing but the certain agenda of
God's judgment will take place. How sobering and horrific is the Great
White Throne Judgment that we are told of in Revelation 20:11-15.
There will be no recourse for those who find themselves facing that
judgment:

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth
and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I
saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books
were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The
dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the
books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades
gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged
according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into
the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's
name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the
lake of fire."

How great is the mercy of God that he sent his Son that we not have to
face this ultimate certain judgment. What a compelling thought to
motivate us to become the best we can at sharing our faith and to take
the time to share the gospel message with others!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: The Lord is with us today and is watching over us!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Deuteronomy 2:7,

"The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He
has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty
years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked
anything."

As I read these words of Moses, I can't help but think of a similar
sentiment we will be reflecting on as we enter into the resurrection.

Living in this life, in a world estranged from God and suffering under
his judgment, living among people dominated by a sin nature with its
expression and inevitable consequence, life here can be daunting and
challenging. Just like a journey though a vast desert. I'm sure there
isn't a soul alive that hasn't experienced hardship, challenge and
discouragement at times. Yet, in the midst of this I am reminded that
those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith will have an
opportunity to look back on our lives here from the standpoint of the
resurrection.

I am quite certain from that perspective we will acknowledge the same
thing that Moses observed. The Lord has blessed us with the work of
our hands. He watched over our journey here in this life. The Lord has
been with us and we have not lacked a thing we have had need of. I am
equally as certain that these things are observable now, if I have my
head screwed on right and am watching...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: Faith brings us a right standing with God!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Deuteronomy 1:29-31,

"Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them [the Amorites and
Anakites]. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for
you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the
desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father
carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."

In the opening chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses begins his recount of
historical events for this second generation of freed Israelites at
the end of their forty year sojourn in the desert. This takes place
just prior to their crossing the Jordan to take possession of the land
the Lord had promised the patriarchs.

In these verses Moses speaks of the time Israel refused to enter the
promised land just after their exodus from Egypt, an event that
exposed the unfaithfulness of the hearts of the Israelites. It was
Israel's unfaithfulness at this point that earned their forty year
wandering in the wilderness as God's judgment. This unbelieving and
faithless generation would not be allowed into enter into the land
flowing with milk and honey. Only Joshua, Moses' assistant, and Caleb,
who "followed the Lord wholeheartedly" and the children of the
Israelites.

In the midst of their unfaithfulness, Moses, pleading with them,
reminded this first generation of freed Israelites of what the Lord
had done for them. They should have learned by now that the Lord was
with them, it was the Lord who had freed them from Egypt, provided for
them and protected them, "as a father carries his son". Their lack of
faith earned the Lord's judgment against them.

The story of faith has long now been highlighted in the pages of
Scripture up to this point in human history. Beginning in Genesis the
Lord had been communicating that mankind's destiny with him lay in the
crucial, all-important currency of faith. It is faith that will bring
fulfillment of God's blessings and promises to the individual. We read
in Genesis 15:6, "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him
as righteousness." This one verse is the vital focus and theme of
Paul's letter we call Romans. There Paul says, "Against all hope,
Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations,
just as it had been said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' Without
weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as
dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was
also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise
of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being
fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is
why 'it was credited to him as righteousness'. The words 'it was
credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to
whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who
raised Jesus our Lord from the dead."

As we see, the faith the Lord looks for that brings his promises and
blessing results in choices in the things people do. The things people
do will not bring his blessing, but the faith the Lord requires does
result in lifestyle choices people make. This kind of faith results in
the things people think, do and say.

Faith is what brings us a right standing with God. It is this
requirement of faith, and not the requirement of performance that
God's grace is demonstrated to us. In Romans 4:16, Paul says,
"Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and
may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are
of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham."

Performance is a result of faith, not the other way around.
Performance reveals the presence of faith. If my salvation depended on
my performance, I never would have made it into God's family. How
wonderful that God chose to give us a right standing before him on the
basis of faith!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Worship for Today: The Lord brings joy to our lives!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him in Psalm 28:7,

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I
am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in
song."

"My heart leaps for joy..."! How many can say that this morning? As I
look at myself, as I look at others, is that what I see? It seems to
me that what the world could use is a big shot of what it is that
causes their hearts to leap for joy! Joy is a word that is almost non
existent these days. It seems to be relegated to Christmas cards and
the carols we sing during that season.

When I have spent time in Scripture is when the prospect is greatest
for my heart to leap for joy. As I encounter the things of the Lord
there, what he is like, what he has done, what the future holds for
those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, these things are
what I find to be a great source of joy. Peter speaks of this very
joy in his first letter. "Though you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are
filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving
the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8-9.

How amazing it is that when we make the Lord our strength and shield,
when we trust in him, it has this kind of impact on us. There are a
lot of things that people chase after to find happiness, fulfillment,
pleasure and joy, but I find that it is our Creator himself, the One
who designed us and built us the way we are that brings the greatest
satisfaction, fulfillment, pleasure and joy in life. We read that the
very outcome of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us brings joy and a number
of other wonderful things to our hearts. "The fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23a.

Just why would I not want to avail myself of as much of this as I can,
as the Lord has made available to me? How wonderful our Lord is who
brings us joy!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com