Your Most Basic Act of Worship

I was recently reminded of an article I gave a friend called Your Most Basic Act of Worship. Here it is:

Lord, I'm Yours. Whatever the cost may be, may Your will be done in my life. I realize I'm not here on earth to do my own thing, or to seek my own fulfillment or my own glory. I'm not here to indulge my desires, to increase my possessions, to impress people, to be popular, to prove I'm somebody important, or to promote myself. I'm not here even to be relevant or successful by human standards. I'm here to please you.

I offer myself to You, for You are worthy. All that I am or hope to be, I owe to You. I'm Yours by creation, and every day I receive from You life and breath and all things. And I'm Yours because You bought me, and the price You paid was the precious blood of Christ. You alone, the Triune God, are worthy to be my Lord and Master. I yield to You, my gracious and glorious heavenly Father; to the Lord Jesus who loved me and gave Himself for me; to the Holy Spirit and His gracious influence and empowering.

All that I am and all that I have I give to You.
I give You any rebellion in me, that resists doing Your will. I give You my pride and self-dependence, that tell me I can do Your will in my own power if I try hard enough. I give You my fears, that tell me I'll never be able to do Your will in some areas of life. I consent to let You energize me…to create within me, moment by moment, both the desire and the power to do Your will.

I give You my body and each of its members…my entire inner being; my mind, my emotional life, my will…my loved ones…my marriage or my hopes for marriage…my abilities and gifts…my strengths and weaknesses…my health…my status (high or low)…my possessions…my past, my present and my future…when and how I'll go Home.

I'm here to love You, to obey You, to glorify You…May I be a joy to You!

Appointments

Leaders...Have a you had your appointment yet today? For those who were working with the kids or were absent yesterday, I spoke about those of whom Jesus said, "These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me." These were seemingly spiritual people, involved in ministry, and admired by others. But their condition was very different from their public persona. They did not have God as the central focus of their time, interest, or passion even though they were spiritual leaders. Their position as leaders pressured them to rely on themselves and to put on a spiritual performance among the people to mask their distance from God. But God always knows, especially when it comes to our hearts.

In I Samuel 13:6-13, we read about Saul another leader whose self-reliance and distance from God torpedoed his leadership. Here is the text from The Message:

6-7 When the Israelites saw that they were way outnumbered and in deep trouble, they ran for cover, hiding in caves and pits, ravines and brambles and cisterns—wherever. They retreated across the Jordan River, refugees fleeing to the country of Gad and Gilead. But Saul held his ground in Gilgal, his soldiers still with him but scared to death.

8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel. Samuel failed to show up at Gilgal, and the soldiers were slipping away, right and left.

9-10 So Saul took charge: "Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!" He went ahead and sacrificed the burnt offering. No sooner had he done it than Samuel showed up! Saul greeted him.

11-12 Samuel said, "What on earth are you doing?"

Saul answered, "When I saw I was losing my army from under me, and that you hadn't come when you said you would, and that the Philistines were poised at Micmash, I said, 'The Philistines are about to come down on me in Gilgal, and I haven't yet come before God asking for his help.' So I took things into my own hands, and sacrificed the burnt offering."

13-14 "That was a fool thing to do," Samuel said to Saul. "If you had kept the appointment that your God commanded, by now God would have set a firm and lasting foundation under your kingly rule over Israel. As it is, your kingly rule is already falling to pieces. God is out looking for your replacement right now. This time he'll do the choosing. When he finds him, he'll appoint him leader of his people. And all because you didn't keep your appointment with God!"

Notice in vs. 11-12, Saul is under a great deal of pressure that causes him to "take things into his own hands." But Samuel's response is that Saul should have waited on God in spite of the pressure he was feeling. He should have, kept his appointment with God. I am convinced this is the key phrase that we as leaders need to see...we have to make and keep a daily appointment with God. The pressures of life are no excuse for leaders to take things in their own hands, rely on themselves, and put on a spiritual show to mask their failure to be with God. Read the Bible, pray about specific things in your life, your ministry, your church, and your family. Make God the central focus of your heart, by keeping you appointment with everyday.

In fact, let's conduct an experiment. Let's see what happens at The Crossing when the leaders keep their appointments with God for a whole week. Let's see what happens in your home, family, spiritual life. Meet at the front during prayer at 10:20 this Sunday and let's share what God has done in our lives this week!

Program Humor

Thank the Lord for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services. Check these out!
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The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
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The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
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Weight Watchers will meet at 7pm at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
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Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
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For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
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The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: "Break Forth Into Joy."
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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
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Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
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This evening at 7pm there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10am. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.
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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7pm. Please use the back door.
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The eighth- graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7pm. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
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Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
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The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours"
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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands!