Day Ten: The Heart of Worship

What hit home for you in the reading today?

The whole chapter hit home for me today. It's stuff that I already know, stuff I've been doing, but stuff I need to be reminded of, stuff that I need to recommit to. Again. Surrender IS such an unpopular word. I cringe at the thought of surrendering. Yet... when it comes to God, it IS the heart of worship. I needed to remember that to surrender to God is not about turning off my mind, or abandoning the need to choose, or passively awaiting whatever happens next.

Surrender is what opens up my heart to God, to his love, his direction, his plans, his tasks for me. Without surrender I'm guessing at what he's up to, guessing as to what I ought to do next, and guessing as to how best help others. I don't want to guess at how to make the most of my life here on Earth.

C.S. Lewis observed, "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become - because he made us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be.... It is when I turn to Christ, when I give myself up to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own."

How do I know when I'm drawing back from a surrendered attitude? Here's some paragraph's that were revealing for me:

A.W. Tozer said, "The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders, and interfering with God's work within us."

We aren't God and never will be. We are humans. It is when we try to be God that we end up most like Satan, who desired the same thing.

We accept our humanity intellectually, but not emotionally. When faced with our own limitations, we react with irritation, anger, and resentment. We want to be taller (or shorter), smarter, stronger, more talented, more beautiful, and wealthier. We want to have it all and do it all, and we become upset when it doesn't happen. Then when we notice that God gave others characteristics we don't have, we respond with envy, jealousy, and self-pity. 

This stuff is very convicting for me.

Here's a couple of more quotes that I found to be inspiring:

Surrendered to God, you don't have to fear or surrender to anything else. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, said, "The greatness of a man's power is in the measure of his surrender." Surrendered people are the ones God uses." 

Everybody eventually surrenders to something or someone. If not to God, you will surrender to the opinions or expectations of others, to money, to resentment, to fear, or to your own pride, lusts, or ego. You were designed to worship God - and if you fail to worship him, you will create other things (idols) to give your life to. You are free to choose what you surrender to, but you are not free from the consequences of that choice.

Sometimes it takes years, but eventually you discover that the greatest hindrance to God's blessing in your life is not others, it is yourself - your self-will, stubborn pride, and personal ambition. You cannot fulfill God's purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans. Jesus said, "If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing to give up their lives daily to follow me."

What about you? What did you find to be convicting or inspiring in the reading today?