The Joy of Glory

Discovering endless joy in the boundless glory of God…

Tag: worship

March 18, 2014

Lent Devotional: Job 1:13-22

Job 1:13-22 (click here)
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he 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.” 22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. (Job 1:20-22)

Reflection
Job stands among four servants…they’re all that’s left. He’s lost everything…or has he. Job recognizes that there is one more present that the four who “alone have escaped” to tell him all this bad news. The Lord is present…and so Job worships.

How can he do this? How can one worship amidst such immeasurable suffering? Job’s explanation is simple, yet has incredible depth… “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job says that God is sovereign. He has been in control over all the blessings Job had ever received and he is still sovereign over all that Job is losing. We know that he has right for we have seen what is going on behind the curtain of heaven. Satan is attacking, but only in as much as allowed by the sovereign king over all.  Because God is sovereign, Job feels he can respond in worship.

How does that work? Job’s recognition is that he might not understand all that is going on, but God is still on his throne and can be trusted. He will say that God is worthy of worship when everything is great and he will say that God is still worthy of worship when everything falls apart. Even as he suffers, he knows God is in control and has the power to end his suffering…God is his only hope and so even though much has happened that he does not understand he will not let go of his only hope. Job’s faith doesn’t fail because his faith was not founded on all the blessings that are not gone. His faith’s foundation was God…who is still present to sustain Job through all his suffering.

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.

Leave a comment
September 10, 2013

Letter #18: Don’t Whine…Worship!

Dear Jonathan,

I walked through the halls of my old seminary today. So many feelings stirred within me as I passed places where years of conversations took place and lifelong friendships were formed.

In a single moment I felt like laughing and crying, which may sound silly, but one day you will understand. I realize I might have been being overly nostalgic and was probably romanticizing my seminarian days just a bit, yet I couldn’t help but wish that I could go back…even if only for a bit.

I wasted so much of my time in seminary wishing I was out! I wanted to get to the next phase of life. I would whine and complain about my classes, profs, work load, etc. All the whining made me miss the wonder of what I was actually getting to do.  I was being given the gift of taking several YEARS to devote knowing the Lord through his Word.

Sure…this is what all believers devote their lives to, but seminary affords you dedicated space, time, and resources for this pursuit unlike anything else. Jonathan, let me encourage you even in your last year…

worship3Don’t whine…worship!

As you do homework…worship! As you study languages…worship! As your reading load burns holes in your head where your eyes should be…worship!

Worship will help you keep the proper perspective on all that you are doing. It will help you keep going! Trust me, your grades will not sustain you, but worship will. Do not work hard for grades…work hard so that you are equipped to know and worship God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

When you sit around with your friends and a whining party begins…excuse yourself to another room to pray for yourself and them. Don’t be all “holier than thou” and try to call down fire on them for their complaining ways. Simply pray that you will have a heart filled with gratitude for where you are and that they will to.

You are in an incredible place, with just a little bit of time left…don’t waste it….maximize it!

Don’t whine…worship!

Grace and Peace,

J

*To know/understand the premise behind these letters please click here.

1 Comment
August 6, 2013

Letter #13: Exegesis ≠ An Exit for Jesus

Dear Jonathan,

So you’ve finally made it far enough along in your language studies that you are getting to do some exegesis! I’ll be honest…the third and fourth semesters of Greek were among my favorite seminary courses. I loved digging into all the nuances of the original text and seeing the grammatical connections that really made the meaning leap right off the page!

Yet, I did notice that my dedication to exegesis began to cause a problem that you might encounter as well. I began to allow my obsession with Greek grammar to invade my teaching within the church more and more…to the point that the sharing of information became my end goal.

TBS-Koine-Greek-New-Testament-004My exegesis actually became an exit for Jesus.

Now before you get all up in arms and start defending your beloved language studies…hear me out. What I mean is this…I became so overly focused on exegesis that my teaching turned into technical lectures aimed primarily at educating my people.

I was filling heads with all sorts of knowledge, but I was not calling hearts toward a “knowing.”

The primary purpose of preaching is not education (though important), but encounter! We long for the Spirit to work through the Word and for people to encounter, see Jesus in all his glory and be drawn to him! We don’t want people to just walk out of a service knowing more about Jesus…we want them to know Jesus more!

The difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus is rather simple. The former involves the head only, while the latter involves the head and heart. Knowing about Jesus is the gaining of mere facts. Knowing Jesus means my heart is stirred with a  desire for him, a love for him, trust in him.

The aim of preaching is for people to come know Jesus more and more so that they may be equipped to make him known!

Now, does this lessen the importance of exegesis? May it never be! On the contrary it increases the importance of it! I need to be pointing people as accurately as I can to the one true God through Jesus. To do this, I must carefully study the meaning of his Word. But, the end goal of my study is not to simply transfer that meaning to my hearers, but for that meaning to transform my hearers.

My exegesis should not serve as an exit for Jesus, but as an escort to him!

I’m not telling you to never talk about Greek grammar from the pulpit or never to share technical information. What I am saying is always make sure that information is not your end goal!  Your end goal is that everything you share stir up people’s hearts to want to know Jesus!

Jonathan, be a good exegete! We desperately need good exegetes teaching in our churches! But, do not ultimately be an exegete, but a worshipper! Worship the God you see and come to know as you study the text and when you teach the text…help others toward worship as well.

Don’t let your exegesis serve as an exit for Jesus, but as an escort to him!

Grace and Peace,

J

*To know/understand the premise behind these letters please click here.

 

Leave a comment