The first thing came out of a conversation I had with a friend that I thought was just super insightful. We were talking about worship and how powerful it has been in chapel thus far this year and specifically that morning. People often comment on their amazement at the attendance of Taylor's chapel services, because unlike many Christian universities, chapel isn't required and attendance is not tracked, yet we have an abnormally high attendance rate. As we talked about how great worship was, I mentioned the fact that chapel is voluntary and that maybe that is why it is all the more passionate. This prompted my friend to share a question he'd considered in conversation before, Why doesn't Jesus just show up in front of us, like in worship, if he really wants everyone to come to him? Well, perhaps it is because then worship would not be voluntary. No faith would be required. Worship from everyone will be automatic when Christ is actually before us in his glory. This is the beauty of voluntary worship. When we choose to praise God even though he is not seen or even felt sometimes, it is evidence of our faith, and it blesses His heart!
Also, tonight in Kingdom Life Church we talked about how worship should never be about what we get out of it, what we feel or don't feel. BUT, the awesome thing about God is that we can never out-give Him. He loves when we give from our hearts in worship to give back to us all the more :D
More on why God "hides" certain things from us from Come to Papa by Gary Wiens: God's primary desire is intimacy with us. He has hidden most of the understanding of our own identities (who we are in Him) in His own heart. His nature is to hide precious things like hidden treasure for us to seek out, so He tells us we can find our identity by drawing near to Him, lifting our heads to "gaze upon His beauty and goodness, and then speaks to us of identity, value, and purpose" through the Spirit, establishing in us glory reflecting His own. SO God gets intimacy with us (His primary desire) while we get "knowledge we're infinitely and unconditionally loved, that our lives have meaning, that an eternal destiny of significance is our portion" (p. 22-23) - understanding of our identity! Isn't that super cool and doesn't it make so much sense!?
Wiens, Gary. Come to Papa: Encountering the Father That Jesus Knew. Grandview, MO: Burning Hearts Ministries, 2003. Print.
Also, tonight in Kingdom Life Church we talked about how worship should never be about what we get out of it, what we feel or don't feel. BUT, the awesome thing about God is that we can never out-give Him. He loves when we give from our hearts in worship to give back to us all the more :D
More on why God "hides" certain things from us from Come to Papa by Gary Wiens: God's primary desire is intimacy with us. He has hidden most of the understanding of our own identities (who we are in Him) in His own heart. His nature is to hide precious things like hidden treasure for us to seek out, so He tells us we can find our identity by drawing near to Him, lifting our heads to "gaze upon His beauty and goodness, and then speaks to us of identity, value, and purpose" through the Spirit, establishing in us glory reflecting His own. SO God gets intimacy with us (His primary desire) while we get "knowledge we're infinitely and unconditionally loved, that our lives have meaning, that an eternal destiny of significance is our portion" (p. 22-23) - understanding of our identity! Isn't that super cool and doesn't it make so much sense!?
Wiens, Gary. Come to Papa: Encountering the Father That Jesus Knew. Grandview, MO: Burning Hearts Ministries, 2003. Print.
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