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What’s He Worth to You?
See Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp.88—89.
- Highlight the paragraph that begins, “The instruction is to ‘lay up for . . .’
- Highlight the sentence that begins, “The service of Satan . . .”
- Highlight the sentence that begins, “The disciples of Christ are called His jewels . . .”
Psalm 100:2, 3 (New King James Version)
“Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
Psalm 96:9 (Amplified Bible)
“O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; tremble before and reverently fear Him, all the earth.”
Psalm 95:6, 7 (English Standard Version)
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
For he is our God, and we are the people of His pasture,
and the sheep of His hand.”
What’s He Worth to You?
Every once in a while adults feel the need to really clean the house. Much thought is put into what should be kept and what should be thrown out. And then there is almost always a yard sale for the unwanted items that are just too good to throw away.
Recently that whole scenario was played out at my house. My wife made quick work of a few closets upstairs and pointed to several boxes that needed to be taken out to be sold at the yard sale.
“Just put them in the garage, and I’ll get them ready to sell,” she said rather nonchalantly.
While she is a precious and wonderful bride, she is a terrible actress, and her casual way of instructing me to take the boxes out caused me to become suspicious.
“What’s in the boxes that she does not want me to discover?” I mused to myself.
She noticed my suspicion and quickly said, “If you don’t have anything else to do, I could think of a few . . .”
Sensing the ultimatum, I wisely chose to carry the boxes downstairs to the garage.
When I was alone with the boxes, I opened one of them and rummaged through the contents. Overall, I was pleased to see the items in the box on their way out. On the bottom, however, was my green sweatshirt I have had since college. Fifteen years that sweatshirt accompanied me through football seasons and work bees, mission trips and vacations. Clearly, it had seen better days, but that was exactly the point, it had been with me as a faithful friend through the best and worst of times.
“Why would she hide this at the bottom of the box?” I wondered. It was a conspiracy. What was extremely valuable to me was seen as trash to be discarded by my wife. I was keeping this and was willing to fight for it. I took the price tag off the sweatshirt and stomped back into the house ready for war.
Sad to say, I lost the battle for the sweatshirt. It seems that my love for my wife is greater than my love for a dingy old worn out sweatshirt. My reaction shows, though, that what we value is extremely personal. The stories, the experiences, the memories of our lives are all tied up in simple symbols, and some of those symbols are as old as an old sweatshirt. Kneeling in prayer may seem old-fashioned and out of place to some today, but why? Returning tithe and giving to the work of the church might seem like less of a priority to many today than it did 100 years ago. Why? Listening to a preacher teach from God’s Word may seem almost irrelevant to people in our fast-paced world. Why would that be? What happens to us that makes it hard to worship our God?—Pastor Troy
- According to “Today’s Reading,” what are you worth to Jesus?
- Why is it important for us to “lay up treasures in heaven”?
- What is important about worshiping God?
- What does it mean to you to worship?
See Steps to Christ, pp.70, 71.
- Highlight the paragraph that begins, “A life in Christ is a life of restfulness. There may be no ecstasy of feeling . . .”
- Highlight the sentence that begins, “This rest is not found in inactivity . . .”
- Highlight the sentence that begins, “The heart that rests most fully upon Christ . . .”
- Highlight the paragraph that discusses Satan’s constant effort to keep the attention diverted from Jesus. It also discusses how Satan will cause conscientious people to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses.
Hebrews 12:28,29 (New International Version) :
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’ "
Here’s What I Think
Kurt had been coming to worship in the same church for years. It seemed so lifeless and ordinary that he had a hard time staying focused or even paying the slightest attention to what was happening . Then some changes occurred. The service exploded with new life. New instruments. New songs. New people But after a year he found himself slipping out of church again. He found himself becoming disengaged and bored. What do you think is missing? What could he do to change his dilemma? What is the problem, and how would you encourage him to remedy it?
Log on to www.Guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and honest. Say what you think. The lines below are provided as an alternative to posting. You may also want to share your thoughts with your class later.
“The incense of true worship, which should have been offered to God, has been mingled with the worship of self. In the place of lifting their thoughts to God, in the place of learning to know Him better, men deny Him in their lives. Their attention is taken up with objects that conceal God from their view.
“Thus it is with the great majority of religionists. God calls for sincere heart-worship. The door to light and an intelligent knowledge of the truth is open to every sincere worker for God. In order for worship to be acceptable, it must be offered in faith and hope, and the life must be in harmony with it. God requires the devotion of heart, mind, soul, and strength. Our noblest powers are to be used to do Him homage. Our thoughts are to be conformed to His will; our affections sanctified to His service.” (Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, MRNo. 769).
What It Means to Worship
Find the hidden words within the grid of letters.
G N I Y A R P P G P M R E C G
E N A P P L Y I N G U U O O N
T N I I D A T H I F S Z M M I
N Z O V F I S S H T I A I M P
W O B I R O T W C H C W G U L
N O I T T E O O A J E D P N E
T K R T L O S L E L W R E I H
R W V S A P V L T W I C M T O
E A E L H R V E D B N V U Y J
S U O S C I E F D E T V I F N
P V G N I S P N R G I V I N G
E Q V Q I A X E E A H U S D G
C L H A U R V U L V W W C A R
T E R F T E A D U L A T I O N
U P L Z R G N I H C A E R P Y
adulation fellowship love preaching sing
applying giving music respect teaching
community helping praise reverence veneration
devotion living praying serving worship
- Highlight the paragraph the begins, “Where the treasure is . . .”
- Underline the sentence that begins, “And at the final day, when the wealth of earth shall perish . . .”
“God's blessing upon that sincere offering has made it the source of great results. “The widow's mite has been like a tiny stream flowing down through the ages, widening and deepening in its course, and contributing in a thousand directions to the extension of the truth and the relief of the needy. The influence of that small gift has acted and reacted upon thousands of hearts in every age and in every country. As the result, unnumbered gifts have flowed into the treasury of the Lord from the liberal, self-denying poor. And again, her example has stimulated to good works thousands of ease-loving, selfish, and doubting ones, and their gifts also have gone to swell the value of her offering” (Counsels on Stewardship, p. 178).
So What?
Most of the time when Jesus addresses the issue of worship, the subject of money comes up. Not music. Not style. Not how long the service lasts. Money. What a peculiar thing. The Scripture is clear about tithes and offerings. The tithe (one tenth of your income) is to be returned to the storehouse (the church) for the work of God’s kingdom around the world. Our offerings (additional gifts beyond the tithe) are given to support the local church and its mission in the community.
While the Scripture is clear about what to do and how much to give, Jesus made it personal. The Saviour makes it a matter of the heart. Jesus maintained that you can tell a lot about a person’s heart by the nature of their gift. Giving joyfully with a heart of praise is worship. Even giving in such a way that you live differently says something about which kingdom you are going to stick your neck out for. Remember the widow who gave abundantly out of her poverty? Jesus didn’t make a scene over the number of coins she dropped in the plate. He numbered the size of her heart and counted her generosity and rebuked the elite for showing off the pounds of cash they popped in the offering plate.
The heart of the giver is what God sees. A girl is saving all her extra money to go on a short-term mission trip for a few weeks. A dad drives an old car so other things are possible for his church. A family decides to forego their holiday to keep a young boy in church school. A college student sells his guitar to buy Bibles for a church across the globe. Whether it be the songs we sing or the prayers we pray, we can tell what God is worth to people by the way they give in worship.
- Why do you think money is such a big worship issue?
- What was it about the “widow’s mite” that has gotten so much attention throughout the ages?
- Isn’t it just as good to offer God our time as an offering? Do we really need to give Him money? Explain.
- What about us tells other people how much we love God?
Match the phrase with the text.
- Isaiah 29:13 (NIV)
- John 2:13-17 (NIV)
- Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)
- Acts 4:31-37 (NIV)
- Acts 16:22-26 (KGV)
- Matthew 21:12-14 (NIV)
- Ephesians 5:15-20 (KGV)
- Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV)
- Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV)
A. _______ “Let us hold unswervingly. . .”
B. _______ “Let the peace of Christ. . .”
C. _______ “So he made a whip out of cords.”
D. ________ “Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
E. ________ “.They broke bread in their homes and ate together.”.
F. _______ ”There were no needy persons among them.”
G. _______ “Suddenly there was a great earthquake.”
H. _______ “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father.”
I. ______ “The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.”
See Mark 10:17-21 in a version of your choice.
See Steps to Christ, pp. 72-74.
- Highlight the paragraph that states, “Satan will constantly present allurements to induce us to break this tie . . .”
- Highlight the sentence that states, “When Christ abides in the heart, the whole nature is transformed. Christ’s Spirit, His love . . .”
- Highlight the paragraph that states, “In solemn awe they bowed in prayer . . .”
What Does This Have to Do With Me?
Sometimes picturing the face of the Father is an important thing to do in worship. For God, it is about seeing you face-to-face. Watch parents with their children—they look them right in the eye. The rich young ruler came to Jesus looking for a shortcut to the kingdom. The Bible says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mark 10:21, NIV). Even though the ruler walked away from Jesus, the Lord never took His loving eyes off him. Everyone who leaves the house of God without looking into His face is loved the same way. It has to be painful for the Father when His children resist His attention or ignore His presence. But He loves them the same.
Worship is a moment to look God right in the face and listen to Him. It is a time when everyone can sing and praise God for all that He is worth to them. Sometimes just being there quietly is enough to see Him face-to-face. Either way, it is not magical. Like every other exercise, it requires little steps taken regularly. Try it. If you forget or get distracted or even get bored, don’t get down on yourself. Get back into focus and find a way to tell God what you think of Him. The promise is that you will walk away a different person because of it.
- What is worship?
- Do we have to go to church to worship? Explain.
- Does just being at church mean that we are worshipping? Explain.
- What things are “acts of worship”? In other words, what do we do that means we are worshipping God?
- How does worship let us look right in the face of God and listen?
- What can you do to keep from becoming distracted or bored with worship?
- How can you worship and walk away a different person?
Read Exodus 20:1-17, NIV.
- Are the Ten Commandments just laws or are they also a way that God uses to teach us to worship Him? Explain?
- Which parts of the Ten Commandments are specifically about worship?
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The parts of the worship service that are most meaningful to me are:
|
Least |
Most |
|||
Music and Singing |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Fellowship and Community |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Praying |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Preaching/Teaching |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Giving |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Serving and Helping |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Applying and Living |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
As you look at the results of this inventory, think of some ways you can get more out of the parts of worship you respond the least to now.
- What parts of worship do you like the least? Why?
- What parts of worship do you enjoy the most? Why?
- What are some ways you might be able to get more out of worship?