Worship Closet: The Cause of Christ- Kari Jobe

Rejecting the lies

How much more will the Father in heaven give . . . (Luke 11:13)

If you have any doubts about “love at first sight,” just ask parents about the first time they laid eyes on their children. Holding your newborn for the first time is an overwhelming experience. The long wait is over, and a new love blossoms.

If this is how new parents feel about their children, imagine how your heavenly Father feels about you! He loved you before you were born. From the moment he called you into being, he rejoiced, both in your gifts and talents and in the prospect of having you by his side forever. Even when you were caught in sin, his love stayed firm—to the point of offering up his Son to redeem you. Age after age, year after year, your Father has held nothing back from you!

Now, it’s one thing to hear these truths in church or to read them in a devotional magazine like this. But we still have to deal with everyday life, when the lies of the devil and the lures of the world can still sow doubts in our minds. They whisper that God is some kind of heavenly score keeper or that he is indifferent and uninvolved in our lives. They accuse us of being too sinful or too weak for God to love us, or they try to distract us with self-centered ideas.

So how do we bridge the gap between what we hear at Mass and what we hear in the world? By taking the truths of Scripture with us into our daily lives. Every time you catch yourself thinking that you are all alone, every time you catch yourself thinking that God doesn’t care, make today’s Gospel reading your own: How much more will my heavenly Father give me the Holy Spirit! Keep telling yourself: If I ask, I will receive; if I seek, I will find; if I knock, the door will be opened!

The devil wants to convince you that God is not good. The world wants to tell you that God doesn’t care. Stand up to these lies. Let God’s word silence them. You have a loving Father, and he wants to give you every good gift.

“Father, I want to get to know you better. Open my eyes to your goodness and love.” 

from wau.org

Seek what is above.

(Colossians 3:1) 

If Paul ever needed a second job, he could have easily found a position writing technical manuals. He could be clear and concise when he needed to, and he never minced his words. Just as a manual tells you how to use an appliance or piece of software, Paul tells us how to take hold of the new life that Jesus has won for us. It’s as simple as ABC. Look to heaven, put off the “old self” and put on the “new self” (Colossians 3:9, 10). He even gives real-life examples of what the old self looks like so that we can identify it and deal with it—just like the illustrations in a user’s manual!

If Paul is so clear on this theory, why can we sometimes feel muddled in our attempts to put it into practice? We want to overcome our old lives, but we can’t seem to get very far.

One answer is that it takes time. We shouldn’t think that all our sinful habits will go away overnight. That’s why God has given us the gifts of Confession and the Eucharist. We need all the mercy we can get. We need the strength and grace that come from receiving Jesus in his Body and Blood. We should never discount the power of these gifts—or our need for them!

But there is another answer. Paul was clear because he had worked this out in his own life. His clarity didn’t come only from deep theological inquiry. It was also forged in the daily spiritual battle that he took up. Day after day, he strove to put off his old life of violence and pride. Day after day, he strove to put on the life of peace and humility that Jesus had won for him. Day after day, he strove to keep his eyes fixed on the Lord and his heavenly glory.

If we follow Paul’s lead and take up the battle ourselves, our lives will change—slowly but surely. We will begin to sense the Holy Spirit encouraging us and convincing us of God’s love. We will find ourselves reflecting it to the people around us.

So take your time, and keep seeking “what is above” (Colossians 3:1).

from wau.org

God's mindset

You are thinking . . . (Matthew 16:23)

Poor Peter! He had just confessed that Jesus was the “Messiah, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus had just congratulated him for his keen insight (Matthew 16:16). Surely Peter was elated. But just moments later, Jesus is rebuking him in the harshest terms for trying to keep him from the cross. “Get behind me, Satan,” he says. “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (16:23). Can you imagine how frustrated Peter must have felt?

What caused Jesus to change his tone so quickly? On both occasions, Peter had only good intentions. On both occasions, he was trying to do the right thing. What happened?

This story tells us that our minds can be influenced by God one moment and by the devil in the very next moment, and we may not be able to tell the difference. It tells us that we need to learn how to reason in faith, or how to think “as God does,” if we want to see our spiritual lives grow (Matthew 16:23).

Peter probably reflected on these two events. He must have asked, “Why did Jesus commend me here but rebuke me there?” He must have asked Jesus to help him. Over time, he learned more and more about the way God thinks. Over time, he became more able to understand God’s mind and to live a life that reflected God’s plan. How else could he have become one of the wisest and most devoted members of the early Church? 

Here is a good way to sharpen your ability to reason in faith. Every day, take one situation and ask, “Jesus, what would you do here?” This simple little prayer can open the door to God’s grace and change the way you think. Scripture promises that you can “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). With time, patience, and practice, you can come to discern what is “good and pleasing and perfect” in every situation (12:2). 

“Lord, enlighten my mind. Teach me how to think as you think.”

from wau.org

Growth in Faith

Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20) 

As we read Matthew’s Gospel, we realize that the apostles were a very special group of men. They must have been, to have such privileged access to Jesus. They witnessed him feeding five thousand people with almost nothing.

They saw him walk on water. They heard all of his teaching. Some of them even beheld his transfiguration. You would assume that they knew all his secrets by now—and yet they couldn’t heal this man’s son. What were they missing? Why couldn’t they muster up the faith Jesus expected from them?

To answer that question, we have to go out on a limb and state that not only did God become man, but he entrusted his mission to other men and women who were far from perfect. Unlike some supervisors we know, Jesus didn’t expect his apostles to do everything right the first time. He was perfectly content to let them make mistakes—and he did so for a reason. Unless he allowed them to stumble and fall, they would keep relying on themselves rather than his love and power.

Like the apostles, we have to learn about faith in the same way. It’s not a technique or something we receive automatically. It’s a process of falling in love with Jesus. The better we get to know him, the more we are willing to take risks for him. It will certainly mean failing at times, but we should never look at those failures as defeats. The mustard seed of faith won’t blossom overnight. It grows gradually as we continue to step out in trust and see where God takes us.

Peter himself tells us to add perseverance to our faith (2 Peter 1:6). If you are praying for someone, but nothing is happening, don’t stop! If you feel you are stuck in an area of sin and tired of seeing the same old habit return, don’t despair. Instead, persist until you see the victory God intends for you. He will give you a crown of righteousness, even if it happens one jewel at a time.

“Lord, help me let go of perfectionism. Let me be unafraid to believe in your promises and always willing to move forward in faith.”

from wau.org

Signs of glory

All this you were allowed to see. (Deuteronomy 4:35) 

The Hebrews whom Moses led out of Egypt saw spectacles we can only imagine: plagues, pillars of cloud and fire, and a sea that parted before them and closed on Pharaoh’s army. Just recounting all the miracles and signs and wonders surrounding the Exodus can make us tired. Surely God could have just picked up his people and transported them directly to the Promised Land instead! But he didn’t. He chose to lead them by signs and wonders so that they would know that the Lord is God—and there is no other.

Likewise, God wants to give us signs and wonders to help convince us that he is the one and only God. His signs are all around us. Brilliant sunsets and billowing clouds, towering peaks and rushing streams, daily proclaim his glory. The vast variety of plants and animals on our planet declares his infinite beauty and creativity—and, in some cases, his sense of humor. The slow erosion of mountains and the movement of glaciers show his limitless patience, while gales and blizzards tell of his vast power. 

God’s signs and wonders aren’t just visible around you; they are within you as well. Pillars of fire may be rare, but the Holy Spirit might “light up” a Scripture verse to help you understand God’s mind a little better. Or you might read the story of a saint and gain a new appreciation for another way that God has worked in the world. Or God might give you the grace to cross “seas” of discouragement or fear so that you can emerge stronger and closer to him. 

God is always sending you signs that he is alive and present. It just takes practice to recognize them. One way to start is with praise—maybe praising him for the glory of a glowing sunrise or the pleasure of a cooling breeze on a hot day. Look for the ways he has helped you forgive someone or has given you a sense of how much he loves you. If you open your eyes today, you can be confident that you’ll see the glory of God. 

“Lord, open my eyes so that I can see your power at work in my life today.”

from wau.org

Worship..everyday

Matthew 14:22-36

If you’re thinking that “homage” means “worship” here, you’re right. A boat may seem like an odd place for the disciples to fall down in worship and adoration, but consider the scene: they had just seen Jesus walking toward them on the water—and in the midst of a violent storm, no less! Add to that the fact that not long before that, they had seen him performing many other miracles like multiplying bread and performing countless healings. So it’s no wonder they responded this way. They were awestruck!

That’s the best reason for worship. It’s the natural response of our hearts to God’s greatness and mercy. Like the disciples in the boat, the more we see how marvelous he is, the easier it becomes to praise him and offer him our lives. 

So how can you cultivate an attitude of worship? You don’t need to go through the day on your knees or spend all of your time in church. Your everyday words and actions can become filled with devotion and gratitude to the Lord. Brother Lawrence, in Practicing the Presence of God, paints a picture of what this could look like. “God does not ask much of us, merely a thought of him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for his grace . . . at other times to thank him . . . One need not cry out very loudly; he is nearer to us than we think.” 

So start small. Take just one thing you have planned for today, and turn it into an act of worship. Keep Jesus in mind. Start up an inner conversation with him and invite him into your task. And then try to do this task as if you were doing it for him. 

As you get into the habit of turning your everyday activities into acts of worship and adoration, you’ll find yourself more aware of God’s presence throughout the day. You’ll find your heart softening toward the people around you. And you’ll find yourself echoing the cry of the disciples in the boat: “Truly, you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33)!

“Lord, help me to be more aware of you in everything I do. I want to worship you even in my ordinary tasks.” 

from wau.org