Joyful New Year

If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have never thought that these words would ever cross my mind, much less be the truth; but I can honestly say that I wouldn't want to spend New Year's Eve anywhere else but church like we did tonight.

The preaching of God's Word was awesome. The message to live this next year for our created purpose - to glorify God; it's so simple and so complicated. It's so easy but so difficult. I can't do it on my own, but I can do all things through Christ.

Lord help me to consider you in all decisions, all speech, all action - let me live every moment to glorify you. I just felt this overwhelming feeling - this intense desire to really live up to that - to really want to meditate and pray and strive on living to glorify God.

Here's a thought I wrote down in my journal a week or so ago, that I've been meaning to type up here. It was brought on by one statement in Preacher Mike's sermon about the word worship and it's Greek root meaning.


The word "worship" in Greek as used in the New Testament is:

PROSKUNEO (4352) - to worship, to kiss (like a dog licking its master's hand),
to prostrate oneself in homage. John 4:23 and Revelation 7:11

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Rev 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God

Things that I thought about after realizing this root meaning:

1. Things we say and know about dogs:
"Man's best friend"
Having one may help people's health
Many people go to great lengths to have and take care of dogs

2. Why do people love dogs so much?
- They desire and seek out our personal attention, and revel in it when they get it
- They are obedient to our commands, even when they don't understand our reasoning

3. A well-trained dog delights in doing its master's commands. People spend much time, effort, and money training their dogs - and no one considers a dog owner to be arrogant when expecting a dog to obey rules, because:
- the dog may not understand the necessity of being house-trained, but we all know the dog owner sees the big picture
- the dog eventually obeys because the master teaches, even though he doesn't understand the why. He obeys because the master has shown him the importance of obedience.
- the dog respects the master's plan out of a trust that the master will provide and love
- the dog desires to be in the presence of the owner, and obeys in order to maintain the privilege of being in that presence

Even though we might not always understand the importance of obedience, God has written in our hearts a means of knowing right and wrong. Sometimes our minds and hearts try to overrule the conscience - or that still small voice when the Holy Spirit guides us. Deep down we all have the means of knowing His Will for us if we'll only seek it out.

Even if we don't understand the reason or need for the obedience, if there is a love for the Master in us - we will obey out of respect for the Master's plan:

- The knowledge of His Providence and infinite wisdom guiding our decisions
- The knowledge that He provides and cares for those who love Him
- The desire to be in His presence eternally

It's not about not doing the wrong thing so you don't go to Hell - it is about being guided to do the Master's will out of a desire of being in His glorious presence and in fellowship with Him forevermore.

A dog doesn't know why we say no when he goes to chew the couch, but eventually he obeys our rules out of a genuine desire to be obedient and to be in our presence.

We often think: why does God want to control this and that about my life? Do we really own our lives? Actually God is just lending us time. It's not our time; it is God's time, and it is to be used for His glory.

He is a Holy and just God. He created all things according to His plan, and created an order for all of it. Being just pieces of the whole, we don't always see His "big picture", so we do not understand it all. He provided a guidebook for obedience and the Holy Spirit to guide us in understanding. Even so, He also gave us a means to escape our inability to completely obey by sending His Son to pay the price for us.

Why? So that we might live to glorify Him, as Christ lived, and that we might desire and enjoy and praise the opportunity to enjoy His presence eternally even though we cannot earn that privilege ourselves through works.

Lord help us desire your presence in way that would make us desire to be obedient for your glory, that others might see something different about us and know that You are the reason for our joy no matter our circumstances. Help us live for Your glory in this New Year.