You are What You Worship

For the record, I missed Saturday because I actually had no credit. Internet access is prepaid here, and I had used up my data before Saturday. How legit is that? Very.


2 Kings 17:15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified unto them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom Jehovah had charged them that they should not do like them.

It is one thing to live as I see fit, and still come out at the end having preserved the basic substance of life, i.e. identity and purpose. Quite another matter arises if I should realize the emptiness of all my efforts in that respect. That is to say, it would be a sad day indeed to find out that my source of identity and purpose is empty like an abandoned, leaky cistern.

...and they followed vanity.

Just as grave as missing this fundamental need to worship, worshipping in vain affects the innermost layers of existence itself. When two people spend much time together, friends or roommates for instance, they begin to adopt each others behavioral patterns, even to the extent that they breathe with similar rhythms when asleep. Worship has the same effects on the worshipper. I derive a large sense of personal value from my object of worship. If my object of worship is of actual worth comparable or greater to that which I ascribe to it/him/her/them, then I wager that I would maintain a higher sense of self-worth. If I decide worship something/someone that is not actually worthy or the worth I give, negative effects are a result. This is because worship is impossible without relationship. If I am to worship authentically, I must get closer to my object of worship relationally. There is no other way. As I come closer, our rhythms, whatever they may be, will become increasingly similar. So you see this line of reasoning: if my god (for what we worship, we have deified to the best of our understanding) is not really worthy of worship, then I become more "hollow," so to speak, until giving my all matches the actual worth of my obect of worship. The opposite is true for a truly worthy deity; I rather become fulfilled, and even more completely so with the deepening relationship.

...and they followed vanity, and became vain.

The point: Worship only what is most worthy. Anything less, and you will destroy yourself.

posted from Bloggeroid

I Am To _______

Can you serve a god you do not worship?

Worship is an appropriate and reverent response to the identity of its recipient, to the extent that one receives one's own sense of value and meaning from the object of worship. In other words, to worship is to ascribe ultimate worth or value to something or someone, such that its existence alone affects your sense of self. Let us be clear; to love someone is not to worship that person. Giving people awards or recognition is not the same as worship. We worship when we consider that person or thing to be more valuable than any other person or thing in our lives. Worship is reserved for the highest place of honor. We can worship anyone or anything, if we give that person or thing the highest place of honor in our lives.

What/Whom can we worship? Anything.

Some people worship their possessions.
Some people worship other people.
Some people worship angels or demons.

What/Whom should we worship? That's the question.

Worship that which/who possesses:

1. Ultimate value (hence also a greater value than you possess).
2. Value that does not depend on you.
3. Value that lasts forever.
4. The tolerance to be worshipped.
5. The innate capacity to be worshipped.


And what does worship look like? Not any 'super worship' or anything, though; just, you know, reasonable.

Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Yeah, King James!)

5 keys to reasonable service:

1. You present your body
This is not about being dragged into submission to God by some pastor or overzealous family member. You must bring yourself into the presence of God and under the scrutiny of the Almighty.

2. LIVING sacrifice
Most sacrifice I hear about are...dead. You, on the other hand, are not called to give up life in order to worship God. You must undergo the refining fire of the Lord's holiness, which purifies you.

3. Living SACRIFICE
One trait of being sacrificed sticks out in my mind like a, well, sore thumb; it hurts! There is pain involved, which means that what you give up to follow our Father God have great value to you. Sacrifices are also consumed as they are offered. There can be no part of you that you hold away from the King's transforming work.

4. Holy
Set apart. This does not mean that God takes you out of the world right away, but rather that you become set aside for his special use. Hanani told it to Asa in 2 Chronicles 16:9a - For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. God's purposes, and no one else's.

5. Acceptable unto God
Not all gods, made or Maker, have the same sacrificial standards concerning offerings. Find out how to please the true God, and stay in that way. Do not deviate because of either doubt or disobedience. Narrow is the road that leads to eternal life.

These five are your reasonable service. The Greek says "την λογικην λατρειαν υμων" in the Greek, which translates to "your logical worship." The five elements, then, constitute worship to God that is logical. It stands to reason that a lack in any one or combination thereof, equals, simply, illogical worship. See how heavy worship is!!

But the Lord is gracious. He allows us to grow into proper worship, so that we might have all the more reason to praise.

You're all together lovely; altogether worthy; altogether wonderful to me. Grant that we might worship in spirit and in truth, O God!

posted from Bloggeroid

This Ministry's Purpose

of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Paul's ministry is about making the gospel of Jesus the Christ fully known, so that he might present everyone mature in Christ. Is that true for every one of God's ministers?

Today, we were on the road again from Accra, where we spent not-quite-two- days buying necessary groceries, dog food, and plants, back to Nkwanta, our home. The journey will be around 6 hours in duration. It could be shorter, if the rain has not damaged the last hour-long stretch of road too badly, or if no large trucks have gotten stuck on the road, effectively impeding progress and raising stress levels for all travellers. It could be shorter if, after the paved road ends, the dirt road has been grated and only slightly dampened by rain; or if the Chinese contractors have paved the road completely, so that the whole journey will pass over tarred (paved) road. But, of course, we're in the rainy season and, while it is dry in Accra, Nkwanta and its surrounding areas are making up for the capital's lack. It'll be longer.

Remember, your identity is found in relation to someone(s) or something(s)...unless you are source of all the somethings and someones, in which case, if you're reading this, I am grateful and greatly humbled and welcome all of your input on...everything. If you are not, then I would thank you to read on. Without what(s) or whom(s) would your life be less than satisfied or satisfactory? Mind you, I do not intend to imply a scale as our teachers may have in grade school, from Failing to Satisfactory to Excellent. Rather, I intend to denote the difference between satisfied and not satisfied, simply. If _ were not a part of my life, I would have no reason to live, no purpose in living. As an attempt at greater clarity without confusion, if you could make allowance for _'s absence, then you need to keep searching. I mean, without ___, you would lose your sense of self. I hope that's clear.

Now, if you have no point of reference for such a source for your sense of self, then I would urge you to both begin and continue the search. By the conclusion of these thoughts, I hope you understand the importance of your identity. I know that many may not know where to start, and might not have even given this topic a first, let alone second, thought. To you, then, what follows is a case for identity. To you who are searching and who meet with mixed success, encouragement and exhortation are my goals. To those who encourage and exhort in this area, I pray that this is helpful as you help others grow, and as you find nourishment for your souls. To all of you and everyone, may your source prove just and benevolent and, perhaps above all, present.

posted from Bloggeroid

Life's Aul

Haven't we been changed by the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ? What is there to be said concerning the presence, power, and promises of God Almighty? Are they ineffectual? Is the Divine Love in vain? Where is the change in my life? In yours?

Or is it the appropriation of this God's life onto, into, around, through our own existence? Is it propositional knowledge, or is it relationship? The difference between the two is worth noting. On the one hand, the intellect reigns, without solid footing; mindless speculation abounds, leading to high-sonding nonsense and "ownership" of the infinite. On the other, intellect is fed by experience; hope is not seen, but the evidence of said unseen awaits to enwrap us all in an unforseen-yet-expected. A serendipitous embrace. O, that I might attain unto the loftiness of the plans for me by my Infinite Benevolent.

Today, we worked. I would upload a photo of our progress but, alas and alack, I reside in Nkwanta, Ghana, where picutres swallow bandwidths whole. Perhaps you could keep up with the progress by clicking on the picture of the sky at the top of the page. To keep you updated, we have begun to fill the first part of the Nkwanta Leasership Empowerment Center. Jeremy, David (my cousin), Evans, and I all worked together to shovel sand into the first of many holes, and mark the beginning of the foundation-filling journey. Worked about 5 hours, and I've actually just woken up from a nap [that I will be resuming soon enough, and with great pleasure] to fill you in (get it?) on what's happening with WorldVenture Ghana. To add the cherry ont top of an already sumptuous pretty please, we have our own truck! I know, you're like, "Yay," in that uncertain-of-what's-going-on kind of way. With the truck, we can cut down on the cost of transporting goods (eggs en masse, dirt, etc), which means that we can put more money directly towards the ministry with less heartache! God has provided yet again; feel free to get in on the action if you aren't in already. How? Click on that big picture at the top of the screen. It is so cool.

I have also been given the privilege of teaching one of the local Youth groups tomorrow evening. The topic is "The Renewal of the Mind," Which spans passages in Philippians chapter 2, Ephesians 2 and 4, and Romans chapter 12. I'm always excited to speak to Youth, and this is another time when I will get to incorporate my passion, Identity in Christ, into the lesson. I plan to teach no longer than 30 minutes, and then to field questions, as per the pastor's request. I hope and pray that all goes well, and that I treat the Word of God appropriately.

Keep answering those questions put forth in the "To Begin" blog and following. Who are you? Why does it matter? What does it mean? Write down the reason that God has placed you on this planet. Take your time. Pray. Again. and Again. Live in Love.

posted from Bloggeroid