A Gas Station Parable

Our little town of 1,500 people currently has a little problem - at least until December 15, 2017. You see, we've always had, for as long as I can remember, at least two gas stations. Growing up there were three, but one ended up closing simply because of the rising gas prices. The other two have managed to stay in business, and depending on the time of day either one can be somewhat crowded. When I was a teenager I had a job in each of these places, and for the most part, neither one has changed all that much.

That is until March of this year. You see, one of them sold to Casey's General Store, thus leaving our community with only one gas station. I don't have a for sure date on when Casey's will open up but word on the street is it won't be until December 15 of this year. In my opinion, it can't get here fast enough!

Now, this is not because there is anything wrong with the other gas station. It's a great place to get gas, a Milky Way, Icee, or some fried chicken. But here's the problem that we face: this poor little station can't support the whole community. First of all, it doesn't have diesel, so those needing that now have to go out of town. And secondly, this gas station was never set up to bear the weight of all the petroleum needs that 1500 people, not to mention the people in surrounding areas, have.

I just got back from filling up the church van and boy, was this place packed. I thought I was going at an off time, avoiding both the lunch and before/after school traffic, but it was still packed! You have to wait in line to get gas, you have to maneuver around people, cars, and sometimes animals (after all, we are in Perry County, and that's how we roll!), and if you want to avoid someone honking at you, you have to fill up and get out of the way as quickly as possible. It's sort of put an added bit of stress on us all every time we need to fill up the tank. Bottom line: We need more than one gas station here because this one is getting overworked. I can't imagine what it must be like for the employees and the management to stay at full capacity, every open hour during the week!

As I drove back to the church building, I couldn't help but think how this too often serves as an analogy of the reality in many churches. 

How so? 

Consider one verse from the text I'm preaching this Sunday:

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace (1 Peter 4:10)

You've heard of the 80/20 rule, haven't you? That is, that typically in a standard church, 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work. I have no official data to back that up, but from my experience, this does prove to be the situation in too many places. 

Many gifted people are coming on Sunday mornings but leaving the work of the ministry in the life of the church to only a select few. And honestly, the select few can't support the whole community. There's nothing wrong with the few, and this is no indictment upon them whatsoever. It's just that the reality is that the entire Body is mean to use the gifts God has given them in order to serve one another. When the task of ministry is left to only a few, often burnout ensues. Maybe not immediately, but eventually, the sheep feel overburdened by the load that they are carrying. And for good reason! They were never meant to shoulder it by themselves. 

What can you do?

First of all, realize that we live in a 'me-first' culture. The idea of using your gifts to serve someone else is quite contrary to the way the world thinks. But they are not actually your gifts, are they? They are God's gifts to you. In a way, this is a beautiful picture of the gospel. You see, the greatest gift God has ever given us is His Son. This is Paul's argument for encouraging Corinth to give financially. "Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!" (2 Cor. 9:15). So, when we serve one another, not only are we doing what God has instructed us to do, but we are also mimicking our Heavenly Father who gave us the greatest gift. When we fail to serve, we make a mockery out of the gospel because no only do we show that it has no power to effect real change but we also give the false allusion that God is not generous. 

Secondly, if you feel overburdened, don't carry that by yourself. Talk with your pastor(s) before it gets to a point where you feel like you have to give up everything. Don't be afraid to share the load. What if someone else gets the credit? So what? This is for the glory of God (1 Peter 4:11).

If you are just a 'pew sitter' you must consider what God has given you and what he has told you! He has gifted you particularly with His varied grace, and He has told you to use those gifts to serve one another. Who are we to use God's gifts in a way not intended? I often think about those talented in the world using their talents for the kingdom of darkness, when they could be using them for the glory of Christ. But, Christians are just as guilty (if not more so!) when we refuse to use the good gifts God has given us to serve the local church. Perhaps you've been blessed financially, or can teach, or can be an encourager, or a prayer warrior, or can sing, or are creative, or are technologically savvy, or the list goes on and on. There are literally thousands of ways that you can be serving in the local church from helping at VBS to calling someone who missed in order to check on them. The point is, don't overburden your brothers and sisters by neglecting 1 Peter 4:10. Use your gifts to serve the body!

When we fail to serve one another, it makes the ones serious about serving essentially serve at full capacity with no real breaks during the year. That might can be sustained for a period of time, but overall it's not healthy. It's not healthy to the church because those serving are shouldering more than they need to. It's not healthy to the ministry because inevitably those serving are doing things less efficient than they could be done (i.e. if they are an 'eye' trying to do the work of an 'ear'). And finally, it's not healthy to those not serving since they are sinning by not obeying the clear instruction of God to use His gifts to serve one another in love.  

Perryville, AR wasn't meant to have only one gas station, and your church wasn't meant to only have a few people serving. That ministry mindset is unsustainable. Serve one another as that is part of loving one another earnestly (1 Peter 4:8). 

If you are already are serving, pray that the Lord would continue to give you the strength He supplies to serve well for His glory (1 Peter 4:11). If you are a pastor, encourage and teach your people to use their gifts to serve one another. And, if you aren't serving, repent and ask the Lord to show you in what ways you can use His gracious gifts to serve your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in your local church for the glory of God.

Good Enough

***Pretty excited to share this guest post with you from Aleigha Israel. This is an excerpt from her book Hidden Treasures. Thanks, Aleigha for being willing to share this! Read through to the end to learn more about her and how you can purchase a copy of this book.***

“It’s good enough.”

How many times do we, as Christians, utter that phrase? We tackle a task, only to say towards the end, “that’s good enough.”

But good enough for what? And good enough for whom?

If a football player is required to do warmups for 20 minutes, and he only does 15 (because he gets tired) and declares, “that’s good enough,” is it really? Good enough for what? And good enough for whom?

This morning I made my bed as usual. (If there’s one thing I used to have OCD about, it’s my bed.) I had strict instructions and goals when making my bed. The comforter hangs over the bed only so much. The pillows must be fluffed (and there are six of them); you get the picture. I’ve instilled this OCD in my 8-year-old sister. That’s probably part of the reason why I don’t have it anymore.
In fact, she’s the one who brought to my attention this morning that the comforter wasn’t hanging perfectly straight over the side of the bed. And because I didn’t feel like fixing it, what was my response? You guessed it.

“It’s good enough.”

Which got me thinking. Good enough for what? And good enough for whom? Who do we make our beds for? Who do we cook our meals for? Who do we do the laundry for?  The answer’s not me, or us. It’s not our husbands or our families.

The answer is Christ.

We work for Christ.
We play for Christ.
We do everything for Christ.
We don’t (or shouldn’t) do things to receive praise from man. We should do everything with only one figure in mind, Christ. Those aren’t my words either. Take a look at this verse in Ephesians:
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,” EPHESIANS 6:7

And a few more speaking on this topic:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”      COLOSSIANS 3:23

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 CORINTHIANS 10:31

This one right here is humbling:

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” GALATIANS 1:10

Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians, that if we are serving man rather than God, we aren’t servants of Christ. I don’t know about you, but I would never want to fall under that category! How do we make certain that we aren’t serving man rather than God? And if we are, how do we stop it?

Do we even know the difference? How do we know for sure if we are serving man rather than Christ? Well, for starters, serving the Lord means we are not serving ourselves.

Serving the Lord means we are not primarily serving others.

Don’t get me wrong, serving others is definitely not a sin, in fact, we are commanded to serve others:

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” GALATIANS 5:13 

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 PETER 4:10 

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” ROMANS 12: 9-13

In fact, when we’re serving others, we are serving God! “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” MATTHEW 25:40

What brings us pleasure? How do we please ourselves? It could be ice cream, movies, food, shopping, reading, the possibilities are endless. These are some of the ways we serve ourselves rather than God. Am I implying that it’s wrong to shop? Wrong to eat? Wrong to watch movies? No, we would die if we didn’t eat, and we should definitely wear clothes!

What I am saying is this: Enjoying a bowl of ice cream is not necessarily wrong (unless we’re being gluttons, which in that case, it’s sin) but often, we aren’t serving Christ while doing so.

Imagine yourself with a mop in one hand, and a mop bucket in the other (for some people, this may be difficult). Now imagine yourself mopping a floor and doing the best job you’ve ever done before.

Why are you doing this? Because your boss is going to be looking over it later. You stand back and admire your work. The floor shines so brightly you almost have to look away. It looks better than it ever has, if you do say so yourself.

Then your supervisor comes to look it over.

Maybe it’s your father, maybe it’s your mother, maybe it’s a sibling or a boss. Whoever it may be, you’ve been waiting for this moment with great expectation.

What are you waiting for?

Praise. Adoration. Encouragement.

After receiving it, you go happily on your way, rejoicing in another task well done.

But let’s rewind for a minute, back to where we were before the supervisor came to look over your work. Let’s say he comes, but he doesn’t offer you any praise, adoration or encouragement.

Let’s imagine he doesn’t say anything at all. He glances at your work, gives a half-nod of approval and goes on his way. How does that make you feel?

Broken.
Discouraged.
Upset.
Unappreciated.

Why would his reaction have such an effect on you? Because you were mopping the floor for him. You were working for him, you were serving him, and when you didn’t get the reaction you’d expected, you became discouraged.

You see, if you would have mopped the floor for Christ, doing your best, not expecting praise, or anything else in return, you would have had no reason to grow discouraged because of your overseer’s reaction.

Children could win the prize at being the best man pleasers in the world. They do things to please their parents and they blossom under praise and encouragement. It’s a part of who they are.

But as they grow older, they must be taught they aren’t doing these things to please their parents, but they are doing it to please the Lord. And when children do things to please the Lord, it also pleases their parents! Even the best, most sacrificial things (if done to please men) are worth nothing in God’s eyes.

I love to give gifts. I love seeing the smile spread over a little child’s face, or the joy on an adult’s. Gift-giving is contagious, and I can truthfully say I love giving gifts much more than I enjoy receiving them.

But I didn’t use to have such a good attitude about giving gifts. In fact, I used to give gifts to please man, rather than God.

An exciting idea formed when I was around twelve-years-old. I wanted to collect Bibles to give to people in need. I started out using my own money, but the Lord soon blessed me by other family members and friends who mailed Bibles and sent money. I was ecstatic!

Many times, as a child, our Thanksgivings would be spent serving the homeless in our community.  It was something we all looked forward to with great excitement. It was such fun to serve others and enjoy the feeling of purpose. It was around Thanksgiving when I first had the chance to give out some of these Bibles.

The gym was set up with tables to serve the homeless a hot Thanksgiving meal, and we had many volunteers. Timidly, I approached a table and handed a lady a Bible. My mother, not very far behind me, became my spokeswoman and talked with the lady for a few minutes while I listened.

Giving away Bibles became a favorite thing to do, and I found homes for every Bible that came into my possession. Family members and friends were quick to offer encouragement and praise, and I soaked it all in.

It wasn’t until a few months later, that I discovered something was wrong. Something wasn’t right. I didn’t feel like I did when I first started giving away Bibles. And then I noticed something else. The praise I had gotten from friends and family members had slowly waned, and with it, went my joyful desire to give away those Bibles.

That was when I realized something else.

My Bible giving days may have started out with an innocent motive. But I had let the praise of man enter my heart and turn my motives around. I had slowly, but surely, become a man pleaser.

So, I stopped giving away Bibles.

Why? Because my motive was all wrong. And until I could fix it, I decided to stop giving away Bibles.

That may not have been the wisest decision, but as a twelve-year-old, it was the best one I could think of. Since then, I’ve learned that giving gifts for God’s glory, reaps a much better reward than giving them to receive praise from man. Just as working for Christ, and working to serve Him, rather than man, is not only Biblical, but it also makes us feel better in the process.

(Oh, and we’ve also went back to giving away Bibles, in bags we put together for the homeless!)

Are we serving man, rather than God? If the answer is “yes,” then we must ask the Lord’s forgiveness and endeavor to change our perspective.

Here are a few tips to help in that process: 

v    Be quick to help others

v    Practice hospitality

v    Seek wisdom

v    Show forgiveness

v    Make time to worship Christ

v    Don’t work (or give gifts) and expect something in return

v    Stifle hidden motives when giving gifts. (In other words, don’t buy a gift because you are going to get something in return)

v    Love others without condition

If I find myself working for man instead of God, or if I’m being grumbly about having to do a certain chore (maybe because I’m too tired, or the chore seems redundant or too big) I think of the chore not as something I have to do, but something I get to do.

So instead of saying, “I have to go fold this load of laundry,” try saying, “I get to fold this load of laundry.” It will not only make you feel better, because you are taking the godly approach and being thankful, but you’ll also be amazed at what it does to you psychologically!

Let’s make it a daily practice to work on these things and endeavor to serve Christ with our whole heart. Let’s not do things “good enough” for Christ. Let’s do things to the best of our ability.

He deserves our very best.

ALEIGHA C. ISRAEL, writer of inspirational fiction and poetry, is an author of six books and enjoys sharing God's love through the powerful art of storytelling. Her novels are distributed through Grace and Truth Books and have been enjoyed by ages nine to ninety-three! With two amazing parents and five of the greatest siblings, there’s always another adventure just waiting around the corner!

To learn more about Aleigha and to sign up for her weekly blog post, visit:
http://thepenofthewriter.weebly.com/contact-me.htmlYou can purchase a signed copy of Hidden Treasures here:
http://thepenofthewriter.weebly.com/store/p9/Hidden_Treasures_%28devotional%29_.html

The Hope of King Jesus in the Midst of Sorrow

It has been one of the most intense 6-weeks stretches that I can remember- Houston, Irma, and now Las Vegas. I'm writing this morning mainly for myself, as I think through these sorrows, and for those I pastor, as we seek to process the events of last night at the Jason Aldean concert in Las Vegas, NV.

At breakfast, I actually felt it necessary to talk to my sons, not only about the sadness of this situation but also, what would we do if we went through something like this? You see, in 2017, it's not beyond imagination that my own family might not face something like this one day. I pray not, but it is the sobering reality of our day.

There are a myriad of emotions that swirl around our hearts in moments like these. Anger, sadness, fear, etc. As Believers, how should we feel? How can we respond? What can we do? I'd like to offer a few thoughts.

1. Pray -

First and foremost, pray. Pray for those affected by this tragedy and their families. Pray for the family of the shooter. Pray for those who have had to respond to this shooting, including those in leadership positions. Pray for Las Vagas. Pray for our Nation. Pray that God would give you the wisdom, compassion, and love needed to discuss a situation like this with those around you.

2. Remember the gospel -

This is why a firm understanding of the gospel is so important, The gospel isn't just about individuals being saved. It is about that, but it's way more. The gospel has a cosmic focus. The Seed of the woman has crushed the serpent's head. He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found. He has triumphed over the powers of evil. Jesus has set in motion the undoing of all bad things.  And one day He is coming to set all things right. Maranatha.

3. Pray -

Pray that those affected by this horrendous act would find their hope in Christ. I said the gospel wasn't merely about individuals being saved, but I need to revisit that. Because it certainly is about individuals being saved (even if it is more than just that). Pray that churches in the Las Vegas area and around the United States would offer the only true hope we have during a time like this: King Jesus. Jesus, the Righteous One, has died in the place of the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). He has taken the wrath of God upon Himself so that anyone who would look to Him in faith might find full and free pardon for his or her sin against a Holy and just God.

4. Compassion -

The Son of God became Son of man, which reminds us that all mankind is made in God's image. The loss of any human life is a tragedy, but especially via murder as it's not just an attack upon man, but upon God Himself. The people of Las Vegas aren't worse than the people of Arkansas...or Houston, or Florida. The reality is that we live in a fallen world. A world that has been broken by the Fall of man. A world that we too often forget is permeated by sin and sorrow. And while it is true that mankind is in rebellion against God, it's not ok to be smug about that. Situations like Las Vegas should break out heart. Ultimately, this situation isn't about politics, but people. People. Over 50 people have entered into eternity who thought they were just going to enjoy a concert. People who were made to glorify God and enjoy Him forever have passed in the blink of an eye because of a senseless and evil killing. In times like this may we shine the light of Christ from hearts of compassion. May we remember that more important than defending or taking away our 2nd Amendment is that people's lives have been forever changed because of a mass killing. I'm not saying there's not a time to talk about those things, but we are really good at taking a situation like Las Vegas and quickly turning it into something else. Let's not make this a situation about us. We can't undo what has happened, nor can we provide answers to questions that are unanswerable. But we can pray that even in the midst of a tragedy such as this, God can bring good. After all, did He not bring good from the death of His own Son? Pray that hope will permeate the speech of Christians as we respond. Let mercy triumph.

5. Remember the gospel -

It really is our only hope. Christ is King and one day He is coming to judge the living and the dead. The Judge of all the earth shall do right. And for Believers, He will wipe every tear from our eyes. Christ has entered into humanity and suffered with us. He was the Man of Sorrows. Jesus knows the reality of human death from a human perspective because He clothed Himself in human flesh and entered our turf. He knows about senseless killings and loss of life. But more importantly, He has suffered for us, and He has suffered as us - bearing the wrath of God that we deserve for our sins on the cross. But He has risen again, victorious over death, hell, and the grave. The only real hope we have for the United States and the world is if people's hearts are changed. They won't be changed in any other way than the power of the gospel. And while it is true that God is the one who changes hearts, it is equally as true that He only does it through a gospel that is proclaimed. So, don't merely remember the gospel during times like these, but share it. Sin will be judged. But there is hope! King Jesus has paid the penalty due our sin for all those who will look upon Him in faith. May we love our fellow man enough to compel them to repent and believe the gospel. We are not promised tomorrow. We are not promised 10 minutes from now. Share this message of hope with those around you and let this message of hope be the fountain from which all of our responses to a tragedy such as this flow.


I'm not sure how much these ramblings have helped you, but even if no one reads this, they have been somewhat therapeutic for me. God is good. I'm going to take a moment to share this, and then I'm going to spend some time with the Father in prayer. I hope you will have the same opportunity today.

The Chief Aim of the Gospel

The chief aim of the gospel is the glory of God in His bringing sinners to Himself through the work of Christ whereby God's justice is upheld and His grace is magnified because of our penal substitute, Jesus, the Righteous One. Here is a 6-minute sermon excerpt from a sermon preached at Perryville Second Baptist Church on 1 Peter 3:18

Why the Rural Church Podcast?

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My friend Eddie Ragsdale and I have started a new side project known as The Rural Church Podcast (iTunes link). At the time of this post, we are all of two episodes in. I just wanted to write about the heart of this podcast and some reasons we wanted to do it.

First of all, the impetus behind this is that there aren't a lot of discussions out there from the rural church perspective. By rural, we don't mean small necessarily, but outside of an urban environment. As a friend of mine recently said, the rural church is the backbone of American Christianity. I think there's a lot of truth in that. Don't get me wrong, I think cities are important and I think reaching cities with the gospel should be a priority for us. At the same time, the reality is that there are millions of Americans who do not currently and will not ever live in a truly urban environment. How do we minister to them? That's a lot of what this podcast is about. We'd also like to demonstrate that there are a lot of faithful churches out there in the rural context. Sometimes you can feel alone in the ministry and we want other brothers to know that there are other churches out there in the rural context seeking to follow Christ just like they are. We don't know all the various directions our episodes will go, but we just plan to have fun with it and hopefully be a help to other brothers out there in similar situations as us.

Another reason for doing the podcast is the excuse to talk with Eddie every week! In ministry, we can get so busy that we neglect some of our dearest friends. By doing this podcast I am now obligated to talk with a great brother once a week! Win win. Eddie Ragsdale is one of the greatest men I have been privileged to know.

Finally, it's great to talk through issues together because by talking through issues, we learn. I've been blessed by the podcast already and I'm a co-host! So, it's a great motivation for me to keep going knowing that this is something that helps me to grow in ministry.

I can't tell you what future episodes will hold, but we'd love to have your feedback or suggestions for topics. I am contemplating doing a 'sermon of the month' where we feature sermons by known and unknown preachers. Hope to have one up in September. If you have any other ideas for us, let us know!

Sweet Hour of Prayer

Thanks to my friend, Adam Willett, for this blog post. Coincidently, you can hear Adam preach at Perryville Second Baptist Church coming up in October! Click here for more details.

Here's Adam's post:

I would imagine not many of us have gone through life without having at least heard of the song, Sweet Hour of Prayer. But I wonder how many of us have actually experienced prayer that we would describe as “sweet”; or being so wrapped up in prayer that we lose track of time. Maybe the idea of an hour of prayer doesn’t even register because you’ve never had a consistent 15 minutes of prayer. If you would consider your prayer life lacking, you're certainly not alone. Many in our churches, I would dare to say most, don’t have a prayer life they would be glad to speak about. Much like our Bible reading, I believe the problem lies with the fact that most of us have never been taught. We don’t know how to pray because we've never been exposed to good prayer and have never known what it is to personally and intimately meet with the Lord every single day. We try, we struggle, and then we give up. We feel hopeless before God and that simply won't do for the Christian. The good news is that we can be taught and we can learn how to pray.

I would suggest that the first real battle we face when trying to have a meaningful prayer life, is the battle of consistency. If you are not consistent, then everything will fall apart. We know that it’s true with other common goals, like diet and exercise, and it is just as true with prayer. We must be willing and determined to spend time with the Lord every single day. That’s not always easy to start considering most of us already have a routine and structure set up that we don’t want to part with, so this may very well mean that we will have to sacrifice other things that take up our time. Jesus would wake up before everyone else to meet with his Father in private. Even though Jesus was fully God, He was also fully man and was willing to sacrifice sleep in order to have that time in prayer. If you are not willing to sacrifice your time for Christ, then your priorities would suggest that time with the Lord is unimportant. No lover would ever accept a beloved that didn’t care about being with them. So it should be for the Christian. That means that we must discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. (1 Timothy 4:7)

I think something also important for the Christian prayer time is that it is done in private. I referenced the prayer life of Christ above. He would wake up to be alone with the Father. Personally, I can't seem to focus with a million things going on around me. It is almost completely unprofitable for me to try to read my Bible with noise around me, much less when I try to pray. Of course, I still try to pray throughout the day, but that set apart time with God should certainly be an alone time. We can't rely on a prayer life consisting of sporadic 15-second prayers throughout our day. While we are called to “pray constantly”, that alone is not adequate. We must be spending time with God alone every day. Also, Jesus told us to do it this way in Matthew 6. It is not only the most profitable but a direct command from Jesus. This allows us to be honest and lay bare before God; with nobody to impress or even to hide behind. We can cast our petitions before God with only Christ Jesus there as our witness. We have many that are scared to death or even refuse to pray to God in public. Perhaps it is because they have done so little praying to Him in private.

Now we must look at how we should pray. Most would say they find themselves praying the same old ways about the same old things. I'm sure you’ve been in services and heard a church member pray the same things he prays every week. It is because we are creatures of habit that often struggle to move outside of our routines. This is the same for our private prayers. The answer is not simply to go to our thesaurus and come up with alternative words that say the same things. The answer is not that we need to be more creative. The answer is that we need to become more Biblical; and I mean that quite literally. We need to go to the Bible to learn how to pray and we also need to be praying the Bible. First, we have example after example of saints going to God in Scripture. The entire book of Psalms is prayers and petitions before God! We also have the prayers of many New Testament saints that pray by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are in no way lacking examples of how we should pray and what our prayers should be focused on. It is clear in the Bible that the saints prayed in a way that would seem strange to our 21st-century congregations. The bulk of their prayers weren’t about the physical well-being of others. In fact, physical issues are mention few times in the prayers of New Testament saints. That seems odd considering it was the New Testament saint who experienced much persecution and hardship. Yet, their concerns centered on growing in Christ and bringing God all glory. Imagine how different our prayer lives would be if we found ourselves praying with Christ at the center rather than ourselves. We would be far more biblical in that way, and far more profitable.

I believe it is also extremely helpful to pray passages of Scripture. This has been the most profitable adjustment that I have ever made, and it may be the case for you as well. The Scriptures are inspired by God Himself, so what better way to ensure that our prayers are in line with what He would want us to pray? If we find ourselves often not knowing what to pray, praying through Scripture allows us to have guidance and direction rather than trying to be creative and innovative. Start, for instance, with the Psalms. Read through a Psalm and then pray to the Lord that very word! Scripture is often filled with an author’s own spiritual concern and pleas before God. While praying through Scripture, we are able to use their words as a springboard of thoughts and suggestions of prayer. Look to the very first Psalm as an example. The psalmist says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked…” So we could perhaps pray, “Lord, let me not take counsel from ungodly sources. Keep me from relying on the counsel of the world or the guidance of those around me, rather than guidance from you.” Later the psalmist states that the blessed man is one who delights “in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night.” So, we could plead with the Lord that we would delight in God’s law and that we would enjoy Scripture and that we would conform our lives to Christ. We cry, “God, give me a joy like the psalmist; a joy that comes from you alone.” We pray for discipline to be one who meditates on God's Word and who relies on it for our strength. Are you starting to see how profitable this could be? Praying Scripture never gets old and never runs dry. It never leads us in the wrong direction and never fails to point us to our Creator. Praying Scripture only brings us closer to the God of the Bible and to the one to which our prayers are for.

Lastly, I would suggest writing down prayers. This helps us to focus our thoughts when our minds want to do anything but. It also helps us remember what to be praying for. You have probably been in a situation in which you told someone that you would pray for them, only to later forget. It is incredibly simple but it may be what helps you keep your thoughts in order.

Prayer is essential for every believer. It is not something that we can ignore or something we reserve to those fleeting moments right before we fall asleep at night. We should be committed to spending time with the Lord every day. If you only have a small amount of time, spend some of it reading Scripture and some of it praying through Scripture. Also, start small. If you have a meager prayer life, then you are probably going to feel lost trying to spend two hours with the Lord each morning. You can't spend years distancing yourself from the Lord and expect Him to flood your prayer closet with His presence. You must labor in prayer. Spending daily time with the Lord is vital for the Christian and must be something we long for. It is impossible for the believer to have a heart for Christ, while at the same time being apathetic toward prayer. We must be willing to fight for communion with God even when you feel cold and distance. Your seeking the Lord in prayer and Bible reading is what cultivates a heart that God is pleased to draw near to.

Don't Sing Noisy Songs

Some churches like to crank it up to 11. But honestly, this post isn't about decibel level. It's about noise. Noise, after all, doesn't require electric amplifiers.

Take away from me the noise of your songs;

to the melody of your harps I will not listen. (Amos 5:23)

The Lord addresses this to Israel who had been treating religious practices as a mere formality. If you read Amos 5:21-22 you see the Lord say some astonishing things:

I hate
I despise

I take no delight in

I will not accept

I will not look upon

Woe to us if the Lord should say such a thing about our worship services!

In American evangelicalism, we have been conditioned to believe that just because we show up to church on a Sunday morning, that God is present to bless and He is pleased with what is going on. I think we need to think through that a little better, for God is not after our lips or hand motions, but our hearts. Many churches think intentionally, and some even pay a staff person, to create a good 'atmosphere' of Sunday morning worship. I do believe careful thinking about worship is important, but I also know it's possible to have a service that moves the people emotionally and is simultaneously offensive to God.

Yes, I wrote that: offensive to God. So offensive that He might just say "I hate it" or "take away from me the noise of your songs." Again, this isn't about volume, but hypocrisy. The Hebrew word for 'noise' in this text carries the connotation of 'multitude'. I think what it is communicating is that the songs being sung were just layers of empty noise not because of the style or words of the particular song, but because of the lack of honesty in the heart. There may have been a lot happening musically, but there was no substance to the worship. Instead, the songs just piled up in such a way before God that the were like a burden to Him. 

Is God weary of your worship?

It's actually sort of alarming how well we can sing songs in church without a heart that is fully devoted to God. The Israelites were going through the motions of worship but they harbored sin in their hearts. For us, this isn't about singing out of the Heavenly Highways vs. the newest Christian songs out there. This is about singing from a heart that is clinging to Christ and repentant of sin vs. singing from a heart that has no real interest in treasuring Christ. 

It's scary how easily a noisy song can lead our hearts to believe everything is ok just because we feel worshipful. It's the song you've sang since you were 5 or it has the beautiful melody or the bridge almost always causes a tear to form in your eye. But if we are singing these songs with a heart that loves sin, God doesn't want to hear them.

Doctrinal fidelity does matter. I think songs that are more 'me centered' and devoid of any clear gospel or could be sung to a boyfriend/girlfriend just as well as to Jesus do tend to be more dangerous in deceiving our hearts.  We sometimes think that by virtue of us singing how much we love Jesus that it automatically makes it so, all the while our hearts are clinging to sin. Or we can sing the same line of a song so many times that we are convinced we believe it even if our hearts aren't really submitting to the truth (the Senior Saints call these '7/11' songs - 7 words sang 11x!). So, singing songs that are gospel heavy, doctrinally sound, and Godward focused are vital. However, doctrinally sound songs don't necessarily preclude noisy-ness. It's reasonable to assume that the Israelites were singing at least a portion of the Psalms. Is there anything more doctrinally sound than songs breathed out by God Himself? Your lips can go on autopilot singing some of the most beautiful and gospel rich songs ever written all the while your heart is not truly on the same page. Instead, it's secretly in love with gossip, sexual immorality, drunkenness, the idolatry of Sports, greed, lying, and the list goes on. It would be like telling your wife how much you love her while fantasizing about another woman. It's spiritual adultery. Singing the right type of songs does not necessarily mean that God is pleased with our worship. He's after our hearts.

So, how do we avoid singing noisy songs? 

You guessed correctly: it begins with the heart. It's a really tragic endeavor to create an atmosphere of worship that thousands of people want to be part of but that the Triune God wants no part in. You need to remember that our hearts can be terribly deceitful and even compel us to continue in noisy singing simply because it makes us feel good and numbs out the reality of our situation. 

Does your whole heart belong to the Lord? 

When you sing, is it an act of faith trusting in the great promises you're singing about? Are you approaching God as though He must accept you by virtue of your attendance at a worship service or are you clinging to the hope of the gospel that God accepts you based on the finished work of Christ? Is there sin in your heart that maybe even others don't know about that you need to repent of, trusting that the blood of Jesus is enough to cover even that sin? Whatever you are clinging to other than Jesus, it's not worth it, turn from it and trust Christ.

We can also avoid singing noisy songs by taking more seriously the corporate worship of God's people. If Sunday mornings are just 'sometimes' given to the Lord, then you're not taking worship seriously. If Sunday mornings are something you just 'show up to' without any though of the 'one anothers' of Scripture or any prayer for your leaders or your own heart, then perhaps you could stand to take worship a little more seriously. Christianity is personal, don't get me wrong. But it's not just personal. If you miss the seriousness of the corporate aspect of Christianity, you are missing a big portion of the Bible.

We can further avoid noisy songs by remembering that the heart is not meant to lead but to be led. This means that truth must inform our worship. Yes, it's true that we can get stuck in truth without feeling but I think the more prevelant danger in many places is feeling without truth. Knowing who God is, what He has done, and how that applies to our lives is vital for true worship.

The people of God are singing people because we serve a singing God (Zephaniah 3:17). As His image bearers, we delight to sing to Him for who He is and what He has done for us through the work of Christ. What a travesty to let singing become mere formality and noise! 

I want to encourage you that the gospel is still big enough to address the sin of noisy singing. Jesus' death is still enough to cleanse us of the sin of mere formality in worship. So, rest in Jesus today and don't sing noisy songs.