WHAT’S IN YOUR WARDROBE? – Part 3 of 5

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”  (Colossians 3:12 NIV)

HUMILITY

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’” (Matthew 18:1 ESV)

Who is the greatest? It evokes the very essence of ego. I heard an apt acronym the other day for E.G.O. -- Edging God Out. "Greatest" language activates the cancerous plague of all human cultures (especially internet culture): comparison. It creates a universe of competition where there can be only one winner and an infinity of losers.

Jesus blows up the question and destroys the category.

“And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’"  (Matthew 18:2–5 ESV)

In lifting up the child as the example, Jesus is not driving at child-like whimsy with rainbows and unicorns. He's exalting extreme humility. He's crushing status barriers, destroying prestige markers, and otherwise eviscerating any shred of human qualification anyone might bring to the table. And let's be clear, He's not handing out participation trophies to mediocre people. He's passing out divine commendations, and they are in endless supply. With a mere thirty-four words He reinterprets the way to greatness from measuring up to measuring down.

Humility is not self-abnegation; it is God-exaltation. Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is not lowering yourself; it is lifting up others.

True humility is becoming so enraptured with Jesus you've taken on His likeness. His mindset has become your mentality.

-- Excerpted from “Wake-Up Call” with J. D. Walt 

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THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF GOD AS A PERSON

Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’”  (Matthew 6:7-10 ESV)

The Bible does not simply speak of God as 'one.' It speaks of God as a person. God is not like an abstract mathematical unit which is singular and stands by itself alone. We do not speak of God as an "it." We use a personal pronoun and speak of God as "He." The reason for this is that the Bible always speaks of God as a personal subject, as one who is in relation to another. God keeps His promises (Deuteronomy 4:31). He is merciful. He sees and hears His people (Exodus 3:7-8). He speaks and teaches (Genesis1:1; Deuteronomy 6:1). He loves (John 3:16). God can be angry (Deuteronomy 6:15). God can be long-suffering and patient (1 Peter 3:20). "It's" are none of those things. 

-- Dr. Bill Weinrich, excerpted from an article entitled “One God in Three Persons,” published in “GOD WORDS: Intro to Classic Christian Theology”

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PREPARING THE HEART FOR WORSHIP

Worship doesn’t begin when the first hymn or praise song starts on Sunday morning. It begins in the quiet, intentional preparation of the heart. When we ready ourselves for worship, we’re not performing a ritual -- we’re opening space for God to speak, move, and transform. These five simple practices help us enter Sunday not as spectators, but as participants in the presence of God.

1. Pray for an Open Heart
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.”  (Psalm 119:18)

Before we hear God’s Word, we ask Him to make us receptive. An open heart is soft, teachable, and ready to be shaped. This prayer is a way of saying, “Lord, I’m listening.”

2. Pray for Your Pastor and Worship Team
“…that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.”  (Ephesians 6:19)

Your pastor doesn’t preach in their own strength, and your worship team doesn’t lead in their own ability. Pray that God fills your pastor with wisdom, power, and anointing -- and fills the worship team with joy, unity, and spiritual sensitivity. Their ministry becomes a conduit for God’s voice.

3. Put Away Distractions
"Therefore consider carefully how you listen…”  (Luke 8:18)

Worship requires attention. When we quiet the noise -- mental clutter, digital overload, anxious thoughts -- we make room for God’s peace. Stillness is not inactivity; it is receptivity.

4. Come Expecting God to Work
“He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”  (Hebrews 11:6)

Expectation is an act of faith. When you come believing God will speak, bless, convict, comfort, or guide -- you posture your heart to receive. Worship becomes a meeting place between your longing and God’s faithfulness.

5. Attend to Participate
“Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing.”  (Psalm 100:2)

Worship is not a performance to watch -- it is a response to give. Sing wholeheartedly. Pray sincerely. Listen attentively. Engage fully. God delights in worship that is active, joyful, and genuine.

Preparing for worship is preparing for encounter. When we pray, quiet our hearts, expect God’s movement, and engage fully, Sunday becomes more than a service -- it becomes sacred space where God meets His people. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

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MOTIVATED BY FRUSTRATION

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”  (Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV)

Sometimes people in Scripture get motivated to trust God in remarkable ways when they grow frustrated with the brokenness of a fallen world.

Nehemiah could not tolerate the idea of Jerusalem being in ruins. He was moved to risk a king’s displeasure and lethal opposition to rally God’s people.

David could not tolerate a pagan Philistine giant taunting the God of Israel. He was moved to risk his life in the name of his God.

Elijah could not tolerate the barbaric practice of pagan idolatry. He was moved to take on all the prophets of Baal single-handedly.

Even in the world today, it is often at the point where we are frustrated by the gap between the fallen reality and our sense of God’s desires that we are moved to action in a cause greater than ourselves…

Maybe God is calling you to trust Him at some point of frustration in your life. Trust Him. No one ever regretted trusting Christ more -- ever. 

-- John Ortberg in “If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat” 

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LET US PREPARE PROPERLY

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.”  (Malachi 3:1-4 ESV)

This passage tells us three things: First, God is tremendously concerned that the people of God be as fit and as holy as they can be, so concerned that God will send someone to get them ready for worship and for offering gifts to God.

Second, the passage tells us that we cannot simply anticipate and look forward to what God will do on our behalf. We are not mere spectators in this drama of salvation and the coming of Jesus Christ to this world… We are called to go to the core of our faith, especially during this season of preparation, and to ask for help in refining and purifying our lives, in living our lives as righteous and acceptable to God.

Third, in all of this talk about preparation and refining, we must infer from Malachi's words that, indeed, God is coming. We would have no reason to go through all the work of getting ready if there would not be a day in which we would enter into the presence of God in worship and offering. God is coming to us, so let us prepare properly for that coming. 

-- Randy Cross in “Born to Save: An Advent Study Based on the Revised Common Lectionary”

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THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.”  (Colossians 1:9-12 NIV)

Can we believe that God ever really modifies His action in response to the suggestions of [humans]?  For infinite wisdom does not need telling what is best, and infinite goodness needs no urging to do it.  But neither does God need any of those things that are done by finite agents, whether living or inanimate.  He could, if He chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food; or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers, or knowledge without the aid of learned [men and women]; or convert the heathen without missionaries.  Instead, He allows soils and weather and animals and the muscles, minds, and wills of [human beings] to cooperate in the execution of His will...  It is not really stranger, nor less strange, that my prayers should affect the course of events than that my other actions should do so.  They have not advised or changed God's mind -- that is, His overall purpose.  But that purpose will be realized in different ways according to the actions, including the prayers, of His [people]. 

-- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) in “The Efficacy of Prayer”

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GOD’S GREAT DESIRE

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”  (Isaiah 41:10,13 NIV)

The story of the Bible isn't primarily about the desire of people to be with God; it's the desire of God to be with people. 

-- John Ortberg in “God Is Closer Than You Think” 

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THE PEOPLE DYNAMIC

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV)

In the small, sharing group lies the power which enables persons to love more fully and live more creatively. This power is the people dynamic -- "the power we have to recreate each other and ourselves through caring and sharing".

-- Howard Clinebell in “The People Dynamic: Changing Self and Society Through Growth Groups”


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THE GREAT BUSINESS OF PRAYER

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”  (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)

Our Heavenly Father has enlisted us, His children, to join Him in the great business of prayer. Failure to understand either side of this partnership will not only influence the effectiveness of our prayer, it will also change the destiny of the world. The cause of Christ moves at a slow and halting pace when God’s people do not pray. It is extremely important that we understand not only God’s willingness to answer but also our responsibility in asking.

-- William Carr Peel

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A LOVING PERSONALITY

"As He says also in Hosea:
'I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.'"  (Romans 9:25 NKJV)

A loving Personality dominates the Bible, walking among the trees of the garden and breathing fragrance over every scene.  Always a living Person is present, speaking, pleading, loving, working, and manifesting Himself whenever and wherever His people have the receptivity necessary to receive the manifestation.

-- A. W. Tozer


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GOD'S PREFERRED MESSENGERS

God is present in His people.  Psychologist Henry Cloud tells about a time in his life when he was wrestling with depression.  He asked God for healing.  He was hoping for something spectacular, something instantaneous and showy.  He thought healing could be something strictly between him and God.  Instead, God sent some people to him.  He got into a little community of people who loved and cared for him.  Over time, their support and truthfulness were used for his healing.  There was nothing glamorous about it.

Reflecting on it afterward, Henry said he realized that he had thought the "special effect" route was God's Plan A and that people were Plan B.  To be healed with a bolt of lighting or some magic words is spectacular: people seem so ordinary.  But he realized that with God it is the other way around.  People are God's preferred messengers, God's Plan A, because they alone carry His image. 

-- John Ortberg in God Is Closer Than You Think


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