what makes God smiles...
It seems that a huge paragraph was left out of the printed copy of this devo...so if you're from NC, here it is in it's intended form.
What Makes God Smile?
“Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.” Ephesians 5:10 (MSG)
WOW! What a challenge. In Warren’s book, he talks about Noah. At first glance, Noah doesn’t seem like the best biblical candidate for an example of worship; David seems more appropriate. But looking deeper, we see that Noah provides a perfect example of bringing pleasure to God. David had the gift of music, a dramatic persona, a creative spirit (all the things we normally associate with extravagant worship) Noah had none of that…just a relationship. A relationship with his Creator. Hosea 6:6 tells us, “I don’t want your sacrifices – I want your love. I don’t want your offerings—I want you to know me.” (MSG) Knowing God, that’s what really brings a smile to His face. A few months ago, at the request of a member, we began singing the song, Knowing You. I must admit, at first sing-through, it wasn’t my favorite. For whatever reason, it wasn’t one of those tunes that I immediately identified with. I thought about storing it in the “North Central Archives” as one of those songs that just didn’t click. Then a funny thing happened, I actually read the words! It hit me. What profound lyrics. Simple, yet able to state exactly what I want my heart to say to Him.
“Knowing You, Jesus, Knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You’re my all, You’re the best,
You’re my joy, my righteousness.”
Each week, I get to see a mixture of expressions on your faces as we worship together. I see excitement, sorrow, joy and sometimes yes…apathy and boredom. But a few months ago, we sang this song. I looked out at you all as you sang, and I saw tender hearts. You may not have known it, but the room was filled with tears. At the sight of your faces, I almost couldn’t make it through the song myself! I’m sure those tears were expressed for a variety of different reasons…joy at what God had done that week, or sorrow for realizing that those words might not be true in your own heart. But I like to think that perhaps they were tears of realization. Realization that there is no greater goal in life than a relationship with Him! That like Noah, no matter what I can or can’t bring to the table, all He really wants from me is me.
- How can I get to know God better today?
What Makes God Smile?
“Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.” Ephesians 5:10 (MSG)
WOW! What a challenge. In Warren’s book, he talks about Noah. At first glance, Noah doesn’t seem like the best biblical candidate for an example of worship; David seems more appropriate. But looking deeper, we see that Noah provides a perfect example of bringing pleasure to God. David had the gift of music, a dramatic persona, a creative spirit (all the things we normally associate with extravagant worship) Noah had none of that…just a relationship. A relationship with his Creator. Hosea 6:6 tells us, “I don’t want your sacrifices – I want your love. I don’t want your offerings—I want you to know me.” (MSG) Knowing God, that’s what really brings a smile to His face. A few months ago, at the request of a member, we began singing the song, Knowing You. I must admit, at first sing-through, it wasn’t my favorite. For whatever reason, it wasn’t one of those tunes that I immediately identified with. I thought about storing it in the “North Central Archives” as one of those songs that just didn’t click. Then a funny thing happened, I actually read the words! It hit me. What profound lyrics. Simple, yet able to state exactly what I want my heart to say to Him.
“Knowing You, Jesus, Knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You’re my all, You’re the best,
You’re my joy, my righteousness.”
Each week, I get to see a mixture of expressions on your faces as we worship together. I see excitement, sorrow, joy and sometimes yes…apathy and boredom. But a few months ago, we sang this song. I looked out at you all as you sang, and I saw tender hearts. You may not have known it, but the room was filled with tears. At the sight of your faces, I almost couldn’t make it through the song myself! I’m sure those tears were expressed for a variety of different reasons…joy at what God had done that week, or sorrow for realizing that those words might not be true in your own heart. But I like to think that perhaps they were tears of realization. Realization that there is no greater goal in life than a relationship with Him! That like Noah, no matter what I can or can’t bring to the table, all He really wants from me is me.
- How can I get to know God better today?
posted by Steven J Bruce @ 4:15 PM
1 Comments:
At 10:54 PM ,
Aidan said...
I give you credit for knowing 1/114th of it at least. ;) I never woulda made it this far without you -- and it's great to hear from you and be able to read your blog and see your faith demonstrated through words, knowing the actions and the man behind those words is just what he claims to be.
Much Love Steven. :)
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