Many things are eye-catching. A mountain sunrise. A rolling ocean wave. An eagle in flight. For me, I simply love the sight of a custom bike roaring down the freeway or the high loft of a home run clearing the fence. I also enjoy the ascetics and artistry in a tattoo. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say, and it’s true (though one man’s splendor may be another man’s spoilage).The psalmist notes our words and heart songs catch God’s eyes. Doesn’t that sound odd? God doesn’t hear our thoughts but rather He sees them. Our words emerge as an image to Him—a pleasurable, beautiful, heart-warming, blessed picture. The meditation of our soul does more than merely sings, it sears into the mind’s eye of God.
The reality is image matters. What we consider, dwell and think upon, becomes a spiritual tattoo. What we meditate within our hearts, develop as living photographs. What we value, evolves into a vision.
God sees what I say. Maybe you will too. It’s a God print.
NOTABLE QUOTABLES ON GOD AND WORSHIP:
"A man's spirit is the highest part of a man. That is the part of him which lasts when the physical part of him has vanished. That is the part of him that dreams the dreams and sees the visions. True and genuine worship is when man, through his spirit, attains to friendship and intimacy with God. True worship is when the immortal and invisible part of a man speaks to and meets with God, who is immortal and invisible." --William Barclay
"One person’s life-giving experience is another person’s boring old tradition" --NT Wright
"The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all." --A. W. Tozer
"We can expect God to provide everything necessary to make worship possible. We children of God must ever be dependent upon God, for we have no resources of our own. We are as impoverished in worship times as a baby unable to provide its own bottle at feeding time. God, the object of our worship, also becomes the inspiration of that worship. He has imparted His own Spirit into our hearts to energize that worship. All that is due Him comes from Him. His glorious Person evokes admiration for and honor of Him, as He imparts His nature into me." --Judson Cornwall
Father, may the words on our lips and the meditations in our life this day rise as a pleasurable sacrifice to You. We are thankful that You are our Rock and our Redeemer. Jesus, thank You for revealing the Father to us. Spirit, we invite you to freely translate our thoughts into eternal images that reflect grace, joy and hope. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment