Isaiah 6:1-4
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.' And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
Revelation 4:6b-11
And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures,full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!"
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
"Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."
It is clear from these two passages alone (and there are many more) that Heaven is a place where honor and glory are reserved and given only to God- praises are continually spoken, people are lying facedown at the thrown in awe and reverence. No distractions, no strongholds keeping us from true worship. Only us and God- He's right there in front of us! The only possible response in that situation is worship.
If you think about the many disciplines that we as Christians adhere to (or should adhere to), like tithing, worship, service to others, fasting, solitude, study, prayer, confession...the list goes on and on... worship is the one that stands out to me as the main one that will continue in Heaven. Many of the other disciplines will cease to exist because there will not be a need for them in Heaven. But corporate worship will remain. To me, that is a clear sign that we need to embrace it now and learn as much about it as we can because it will be an eternal occupation.
Sometimes our corporate gatherings feel a little less than heavenly though, right? And why is that? There are many reasons, but I would say chief among them is an unyielded heart. When you are really in love with someone, there is no way you can keep that silent. Everything you do is motivated by that love. You think about them day and night. You ration your time, money, belongings, your entire existence really, around the love you have for that person. The same should be said of God. If He really is your main priority, then all that we do and all that we have should be leveraged for His glory. We should reflect that passion for Him and obedience towards Him in our own lives and in our corporate gatherings.
At our LCC Staff Retreat this past week, I posed the question- What would it be like if everyone came to church already full of God, not in need of a Sunday fill-up? What if they had been seeking Him and already worshiping Him throughout the week? The results would be incredible! People would come in to our corporate gathering already full, and the corporate worship and teaching time would then cause them to overflow. They would carry that overflow into their own spheres of influence and their adoration for God would spill out onto all they came in contact with.
But that can only happen (and it definitely CAN happen) when we stop viewing church as a convenience store where we can get our God fill-up for the week. Our relationship with and worship of God has to be a daily process that we all choose. It is a choice- unfortunately, one of a gazillion choices. But if we make that choice, then our corporate gatherings truly will be a place where God is deservedly honored and adored. Where our hearts are set free to take on even MORE of His love- love for us and love for the world. Imagine all of the work we could achieve if we harnessed that kind of love! Imagine the deepened understanding and love of God we could have! Imagine the change we could be in our world! Imagine getting to Heaven and seeing it as a continuation of the life you lived on earth!
But let's not just imagine it- let's do it! God has called us to live our lives for Him. All day, everyday. With or without music. Let everything we do be about Him and for Him. Amen!
I encourage you to write down or print out the verse below and post it somewhere that you can read it every single day:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers,by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. -Romans 12:1-2
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