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Giving, Not Receiving
everyday of the week, and is taken from John Garmo's LIFESTYLE WORSHIP. LIFESTYLE WORSHIP FOCUSES ON GIVING, NOT RECEIVING Paul minces no words: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - which is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1) Perhaps the most difficult pill to swallow, especially for Americans, is the thought of giving without obligating a reciprocal benefit from the receiver. We frequently trade favors in business and neighborhood life. We offer help with the implied understanding that the person will do the same for us when we need it. That's not bad either! It's just not how lifestyle worship works. With God, if we give in order to get, we give amiss. We are then thinking of ourselves first and of God second - a dangerous order of priorities. Lifestyle worship will benefit us, but it is not primarily for our benefit. If our focus is ultimately on ourselves, then we fall into the witless trap of worshiping a compromised creation instead of our incomparable Creator. Such truncated vision will produce personal barrenness. Lifestyle worship is sacrificial. A sacrifice is a gift of the essence or the product of our lives. It may be a gift of our time, a gift of our talent, or a gift of our treasure. Whatever shape it takes, it is a sacrifice given with no regard for a return on the investment." - John Garmo's, LIFESTYLE WORSHIP: HOW TO BRING WORSHIP INTO YOUR DAILY LIFE, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993, p. 66. Have a great week, Chip Stam Pastor of Worship and Music Chapel Hill Bible Church Chapel Hill, North Carolina |