DAY 23 – Worship: God’s Way | Firm Foundation Devotional | Guest Writer: Min. Shawn R. Carter
by Min. Shawn Renee Carter
Micah 6:6-8 (HCSB), What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high?Should I come before Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? 7 Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the child of my body for my own sin? 8 Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.
During old testament times the Israelites, Judah, God’s people, found themselves in a perpetual cycle of disobedience, God’s judgment, repentance, and God’s forgiveness. God continued to be merciful despite their forgetfulness and ungratefulness.
God sent the prophet Micah to the people because they had once again broken their covenant and turned away from Him, bringing judgment upon themselves. Micah described their sins as perversion of worship and injustice toward others. They were guilty of worshipping other gods (the gods of the kings) and bowing before false idols. Today, there are false idols such as ambition, self-worth, money, and social positions.
Judah was guilty of all kinds of injustices, rulers demanded gifts and judges demanded bribes, corruption was the norm. According to the Bible, Micah could not find an upright person. Even today, it can be hard to find fairness, honesty, and integrity. Sin has affected our society and even our homes. However, because we have Christ, we have hope.
We are in this world, but we are not of it. Followers of Christ bring salt and light. We bring influence and we set a different standard for others to follow. That standard is love and faithfulness to God.
Galatians 5:22-24 (NIV), But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its desires.”
God empowers us through the Holy Spirit to overcome temptations, sins, biases, and prejudices. He teaches us to love and treat one another right because we cannot say we love God while hating our neighbor. Whoever claims to love God, yet hates his brother or sister is a liar.
For whoever does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (1 John 4:20 NIV)
We must love and show mercy towards those who have wronged us. We must regularly examine our motives for dealing with people and situations. Man was created for relationship with God. We worship to maintain that fellowship. Worship is vital because God desires deserves and expects it. John 4:23 states that God looks for “true worshipers who worship in spirit and truth.”
Scripture makes it clear, “It is impossible to please Him without faith.” It is impossible to worship Him without it being in spirit and truth. The one who draws near to God is the person who is faithful in persistent pursuit of Him and committed to loving and living life the way that God requires. We present ourselves a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with God.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1. What does justice mean to you?
2. Besides singing or dancing, how to you worship God?
3. How do you overcome the temptation to conform to the ways of the world?
Action Items based on understanding:
God empowers us through the Holy Spirit to overcome temptations, sins, biases, and prejudices. He teaches us to love and treat one another right because we cannot say we love God while hating our neighbor. Whoever claims to love God, yet hates his brother or sister is a liar.
For whoever does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (1 John 4:20 NIV)
We must love and show mercy towards those who have wronged us. We must regularly examine our motives for dealing with people and situations. Man was created for relationship with God. We worship to maintain that fellowship. Worship is vital because God desires deserves and expects it. John 4:23 states that God looks for “true worshipers who worship in spirit and truth.”
Scripture makes it clear, “It is impossible to please Him without faith.” It is impossible to worship Him without it being in spirit and truth. The one who draws near to God is the person who is faithful in persistent pursuit of Him and committed to loving and living life the way that God requires. We present ourselves a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with God.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1. What does justice mean to you?
2. Besides singing or dancing, how to you worship God?
3. How do you overcome the temptation to conform to the ways of the world?
Action Items based on understanding:
Min. Shawn R. Carter is the worship leader at New Covenant Church, Indianapolis, Indiana.
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