A Norvell Note

Vol. 16 No. 34 | August 26, 2013

From our perspective waiting is misery. From traffic jams to school drop-off and pick-up lanes, from doctors’ offices to hospital waiting rooms, from wedding days to birth dates, and from coffee shops to our favorite restaurants, we have a hard time waiting. We get frustrated. We feel forgotten. We wonder if we are being ignored. We assume nobody cares…including God. Waiting is misery. Yet, as I wrote last week, while we are waiting we sometimes discover it can be very meaningful and serve an important purpose. Sometimes. Most of the time it is misery. That is from our perspective.

What about from the other side…God’s side? How does He feel when we ignore Him? Is He hurt, insulted, or feel betrayed when we fail to communicate with Him? Does God assume the worst about us when He does not hear from us as often as and in ways that He expects or prefers? What does He think when hours turn into days that turn into weeks that turn into months that turn into years without hearing from us? What does God do when we seem far away and distant and uninterested?

Isaiah seems to indicate that when God is waiting on us He is making plans to bless us:

A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.
(Isaiah 30:17-19)

Don’t miss this: “He longs to be gracious to you; he will rise up to show you compassion.” And, “As soon as he hears, he will answer you.”

Luke seems to indicate that when God is waiting on us He is longing to see us and celebrate with us.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
(Luke 15:20-24)

When the son “came to his senses” the father responded with open, gracious and loving arms. He was not angry. He did not lecture. He did not remind him of his mistakes. He did not demand repayment for all that he had wasted.

That is not how we normally think about waiting, is it? Is it possible that as we go through a period of waiting, God is longing for us as much, possibly more, than we are longing for Him? Is it possible that instead of being angry and impatient and offended and justified for feeling those things, that I could be relieved of those feelings if I could imagine God putting up decorations for our welcome home party? Is it possible that during those days and nights when I am wondering if God has forgotten me, or ignoring me, or neglecting me, I try to see Him as thinking that I have forgotten Him, or ignoring Him, or neglecting my relationship with Him and waiting for me to remember Him?

I suspect it is not only possible, but likely.

Father, let’s get together and have a party.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 33 | August 19, 2013

If you have followed my “Notes” for any length of time you know that I have written about “waiting” on numerous occasions. The longer I live the more I realize that we spend a significant amount of our time waiting. Not just waiting in line at the coffee shop, or the grocery store, or the movie theater. Life itself involves waiting.

This morning I preached a sermon, “Saturday: Waiting.” This sermon is based on (and including much of) John Ortberg’s Who Is This Man?: The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus. As I talked about the “In-Between” times of our lives…those times after something significant and before something significant…the audience was eerily quiet. Typically there are numerous “Amens!” Not today. (I refuse to believe it was an off day for my preaching.) I believe the silence was because most of us understand these “in-between”.

We know what it feels like the day after a death. We know how it feels to wake up on the day after we have lost our job. We know the agony of seeing a dream disappear, and waking up the next day wondering if God is still near us, if He is aware of our pain, and if He cares about what we are experiencing.

As the sermon ended and we moved into our class time I continued to sense that the message had connected deeply and significantly with some people. So, we sat aside our scheduled class discussion on Galatians chapter two, and I asked, “Does anyone have a ‘Saturday story’ that you would share with us?” The stories came. One after another. Each uniquely different and personal; each amazingly similar. “I had no idea what was ahead. So, I prayed” “I fell on my knees and prayed.” “I wondered what was going to happen.” “I did not know where to turn.” “I was amazed at how as I waited I felt at peace, I felt God’s presence, and just when I needed it most…God showed up.”

So, I share these additional thoughts on waiting because I suspect some of you reading have your own Saturday story. Either you have lived through your Saturday to experience the hope that comes on Sunday, or you are living a Saturday story right now and trying your best to hold on to your hope and stay strong in your faith.

You may be struggling to not give up. You may be longing to hear something from God. His silence may be pushing you to the edge.

Hold on. As surely as we have Saturdays, we have Sundays. As dark and hopeless as this Saturday may be, the brightness of God’s glory will appear on Sunday. Keep looking. Keep hoping. Keep listening. Keep believing. Keep knowing that He has not forgotten you. He has not left you. He has not abandoned you. He is working on your behalf even when you cannot see or hear Him. He is always doing something good.

Remember the words of Hosea.

Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.

After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.

Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth. (Hosea 6:1-3)

On the third day, whenever that may be, He will heal us, He will bind up our wounds, He will revive us, He will restore us that we may live in His presence. He will appear.

The waiting is difficult, but His appearing is worth the wait.

[NOTE: If you have a Saturday story that you want to share, I would love to read it. Email me here.]

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 32 | August 12, 2013

You have talked about it. You have prayed about it. You have asked God to show you your gift and to reveal His will for you to use you gift. You have surrendered your life to the One who created you. Everything is in place. It’s time to start living the life.

Romans 12:9-21 tells us what to do and how to do it.

Love must be sincere. Be genuine. Don’t say it if you don’t mean it. Be real.

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Even if you are surrendered and working hard to please the Lord, maybe especially then, evil lurks very near. Hate it. Battle it by hanging on to what is good. Stay focused on good and avoid what is evil.

Be devoted to one another in love. Demonstrate your commitment to the Body. Think about them and respond to them through your sincere love.

Honor one another above yourselves. Get out of the way and put others in front of you. You do not need the attention. You are not what or who is important.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Keep your passion alive and strong. Do not allow the fire to go out.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Joy, patience, faithfulness. Always essential. The tendency is to lose the joy, become impatient, and stop praying. Don’t!

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Be generous with your brothers and sisters.

Practice hospitality. Be warm to people. Treat them with kindness. Be receptive to strangers and friends.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. When you are getting a bad rap, be nice. Don’t fall into the habit of talking badly about people, even if they don’t like you.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Be appropriate in your response and reactions to people.

Live in harmony with one another. Stop arguing and complaining. Get along with your brothers and sisters…the world is watching.

Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. As Paul said earlier, “Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought.” You are not all that special. Get over yourself.

Do not be conceited. Get over yourself.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. There’s that word again…evil. When it gets the best of you, you start wanting revenge. Don’t.

Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If you know what is right in the eyes of God, do it. Most will appreciate it. Even if they don’t, do what you can and live securely.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. You can’t please everyone, but do the best you can to keep the barriers down.

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Don’t waste your time and energy trying to get revenge. God will handle it.

On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do what you can to be nice to all people, even the ones you do not like.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. There is that word again: Evil. Evil is all around. Do not let it get the best of you. You can control it by overcoming it with the Love of Christ in you.

It’s time to start living the life. You know how. You know where. All that is left is to start.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

 

Vol. 16 No. 31 | August 5, 2013
Who am I? What was I created to be and to do? Why am I here? Do I have a purpose? Does God have a plan for my life? Questions some of us struggle with from time to time. Questions some struggle with all the time.

How about you? Ever wonder why you were placed on this earth? Does another year passing make you sad because it means you still do not know why you were born?

Maybe Romans 12 will offer some help.

Romans 12:3, For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Insight Number One: Maybe we think too much about ourselves. In verse 3 Paul instructs us “Do not think more highly than you ought,…” Maybe one way to read that would be, “Don’t spend so much time thinking about yourself.” Use sober or clear-headed judgment about yourself. Maybe we spend too much time trying to figure ourselves out when we should spend more time focusing on God and what He is doing, and how we can fit into His plan

Insight Number Two: God’s plan for us is not necessarily a puzzle to be solved. It is mysterious. But the puzzle has been solved. Colossians 1:25-26 says, “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is a major part of the reason you are here, to allow Christ to be revealed in you. That happens when you have surrendered to Him. That happens when you have made your life a living sacrifice.

Insight Number Three: You were born to be you. God makes it clear that we are all different but we are all joined to be one. We all have different gives but we make up the one body. We cannot be someone else. We do not have their gift. Although we may have similar qualities as our parents, our siblings, our closest friends, but we are not them. We were not created to be them, or like them. We were formed in our mother’s womb to be us. We are to be part of the Body of Christ as designed by God, and as He designed us.

You were born to be you.  That is where you be be your best. That is where you will flourish. So, be who you were born to be you.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2013. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

 

Vol. 16 No. 30 | July 29, 2013

His will. We are all searching for His will in our lives. We are all, in one way or another, trying to determine: what His will is for our lives? What is it that He wants us to do with our lives? Where are we supposed to live? What kind of ministry are we supposed to be involved with? How are we supposed to use the gifts He has given us for His glory?

We spend a significant amount of time and energy wrestling with these questions and wondering if we will ever really know if we are living in a way that pleases God. We may even wonder if it is possible to know what God’s will is for our lives.

Many live life as if we are the silver metal ball in a pin ball machine. We roll this way until we hit a bumper, then, “Ding!” we bounce off in another direction. We hit another bumper, then, “Ding!” off we go in another direction. No control. No sense of meaning. About the time we think we are done the flipper sends us zooming through the maze of bumpers and back through the we bounce from one thing to another. Eventually, the bouncing stops and we head toward the exit at lightening speed. The controller of the game makes one last desperate effort to catch us with the flipper and save us, but even with the strongest effort and all the body English that can be mustered, they miss us and down we go. Game over.

Is that it? Are we nothing more that silver balls at the mercy of fallible and imperfect gamer who uses us to develop his skills as a player? Are our lives to be lived bouncing in one direction, then another, then another, and yet another, responding to any impulse that pushes our pulls us, only to be lost down the shoot at the end of the game? Surely there is more. Surely there is a better way.

We have spent several weeks in the first two verses of Romans chapter twelve attempting to understand this how life is to be lived in the Body of Christ. We would be negligent if we skipped this last sentence.

In the J. B. Phillips New Testament these the section begins with this heading: We have seen God’s mercy and wisdom: how shall we respond? Then, Phillips writes:

With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

Read that last part again: let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity. These thoughts surface.

Maturity is God’s will for my life. God is not as interested in my happiness as I am. God is not concerned about life always be smooth sailing for me. God is much more concerned about me being transformed into the image of His son (Romans 8:29). That is maturity. That is what He wants.

Maturity comes later. After I have reflected on God’s great mercies, after I have surrendered my whole life to Him as worship, after I have allowed the transformation process to begin, and after my mind has been “re-moulded”

When it happens I will know it. I do not have to bounce from one bumper to another. I do not have to be in a constant state of doubt and insecurity. The text says, “…so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”

Stop living like you are a confused and helpless object being manipulated through the game of life that eventually ends with you sliding down the exit into nothingness. You are being changed into the image of God’s son. Sometimes it is painful. The transformation process usually takes longer than we prefer. He knows what He is doing. Trust Him. In the end you will know that He is good and his plan is good and meets all his demands.

 

Tom

 

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2013. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 29 | July 21, 2013

As we make our way in life following Jesus something happens. We commit ourselves (sacrifice our lives) to God. We seek His guidance and long to know His will for our lives. We want Him to be the Lord, the ruler, of all that we think, say and do. We rely on His promises for strength, power, wisdom, courage, and the promise that His Spirit will guide us in all understanding.

In the process of all that, something amazing happens. We are changed. We are transformed. We become someone we have never known, and maybe never dreamed we could become. It happens through His power and it happens as our minds renewed.

To renew means to “resume (an activity) after an interruption”. It means to “return to, take up again, come back to, begin again, start again, restart, recommence; continue (with), carry on”. It implies the return to something or some place where we once were.

The follower of Jesus has little trouble seeing the need, understanding the process, and appreciating the opportunity to “renew our minds.” Where would we be if we did not have this gift of renewal?

As important as the renewal process is, and as vital as it is to our spiritual transformation, it often seems that we know very little about it. What is it? How does it work? How are our minds renewed?

From two of the three texts we have been examining (see them below) it seems apparent that it is something that happens to us. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (NIV), and “You’ll be changed from the inside out.” (The Message). However, the New Living Translation indicates it involves our “changing the way you think.” Actually the NIV leans toward some action on our part as well. So, let me offer a few thoughts on what we can do to renew our minds and how we can prepare ourselves to have our minds renewed.

Sometimes we must literally change the way we think. There are times when our thinking just gets off track. Our brains (with the assistance of the great Enemy) begin to tell us lies. “God does not really love you.” “He is not really going to forgive you of your sins.” “You have done too many bad things to ever be made clean again.” When that happens we need to simply remind our brains that “this is wrong thinking and I refuse to do any more.” This requires an honest examination of what we are thinking and how it is affecting us. When it happens we need to literally change the way we think.

Sometimes we must do things that will renew our minds. There are times when we need to do some physical activity that causes us to change the way we think. Stress, busy schedules, sickness, fatigue, and being overwhelmed by life cause us to lose our focus, lose our direction, and confuse our thinking. When that happens we need to take a break. It may help to get away by ourselves. Jesus did that regularly and at times took his disciples with him. We may need to get some rest. We may need to read something different. We may need to spend time with His Word. We may need to talk with a counselor or close friend who can help us regain a healthier perspective.

Sometimes we simply experience the renewal of our minds. There are times when it just happens. You see a rainbow after a storm. You witness a beautiful sunset. You wake up early and sit outside as the sun rises. You take a walk by the ocean, or you hike through the mountain. You get a call from a close friend. You read a passage from Scripture that you have read hundreds of times, but this time you see something new and fresh and different. You hear a song. You hear a sermon. You sit quietly with your Bible in your lap asking God to “Show me something new.” You hold a baby in your arms. You attend a funeral. You read an article. There may be no explanation but it happens. Your mind is renewed. You have a fresh look on life. You feel refreshed, revived, and restored.

However it happens, when it happens you are convinced once again that God is on your side, that He loves you more than you love yourself, and He is working in your life and in your heart to transform your life, mind, and soul. And, you are once again confident that your life has meaning and purpose and value.

Father, renew our minds to see You more clearly.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2, NIV)

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:2,The Message)

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NLT)

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 28 | July 15, 2013

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2, NIV)

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:2,The Message)

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NLV)

What does it mean to be “be transformed?”

The best and most simple way to help you understand would be to have you read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

To be transformed means to be changed from what you once were to what you were created to be. It takes imagination to think about it. It takes patience to achieve. It takes God to make it happens.

Notice the text does not say, transform yourself. It does not say fix yourself. It does not say get yourself right.

It does say, “be transformed” (NIV). It does say “let God transform you into a new person” (NLV).

That is part of what makes it so hard, knowing we must depend on God to do it. Part of the reason we may get so frustrated with the transformation process is that the harder we try to make it happen, the less it seems to happen. We cannot make the transformation happen.

Our part is to accept God’s mercies, give our whole selves to Him, and allow Him to transform us by renewing our minds. We let Him change. We submit to His changes. We trust Him to change us as He sees appropriate.

We must understand that the transformation process is not always pleasant. Being transformed can be unpleasant. There may be times of silence, confusion, questioning, and pain.

As we are being transformed we look for progress. Are we becoming more “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29)? Are we sounding more and more like Jesus when we talk? Are we responding more and more like Jesus to people in our circle of influence? Are we experiencing the peace and contentment that comes from submitting our wills to God?

When we endure. When we allow God to transform us we long for and rejoice in that moment when we realize the transformation has taken place. For the caterpillar it happens when he exits from his cocoon as a beautiful butterfly. For the follower of Jesus it happens when she comes out of the waters of baptism. It happens when he faces a temptation and comes away victorious. It happens when we find people are coming to us for spiritual advice.

It happens because we allow God, who knows how He made us, and knows how He has designed us, and reveals to us what we can be.

Is it time you surrendered to God and allowed Him to transform you? Give up trying to make it happen through your own efforts. Be transformed.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 27 | July 8, 2013

A fairly common conversation parents have with their children as they approach adolescence and during the teen years involves language that includes the danger of peer pressure.

Most conscientious parents want to make sure our children know how easy it is to be swayed by friends and companions, how difficult it is to resist a good friend when they try to talk them into doing something they know they should not do, and how important it is be a good positive influence on their friends and companions. We may even use a phrase like, “You don’t have to be like everybody else.” We may even throw in a good scripture to add some punch: “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.'” (1 Corinthians 15:33, NIV) Or as we like to rephrase it: “Evil companions corrupt good morals.”

Our children may respond with a roll of the eyes as they groan and and say, “Dad, you can trust me.”

We do trust them. What we do not trust is how deceptive and persuasive the forces of evil can be…even on those who have a solid faith and a strong belief system. What we know (often from personal experience) is how easy it is to be lured away from the faithful path of following Jesus.

We know all too well how sad it is when a man who has walked with the Lord drifts into the ways of the world. We know the horrible destruction caused when a woman of considerable influence chooses to abandon the ways of God for a life of selfishness. Too often we have seen the pain created when a church leader becomes consumed by following material dreams to the neglect to the ways of the Spirit.

Paul sounds like a concerned parent when he writes to his spiritual children from the Christian community in Rome:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2, NIV)”Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.” (Romans 12:2,The Message)

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NLV)

It may be that this gentle nudge urging us to “not conform to the pattern of this world,” to not “become so well-adjusted to our culture,” and to resist the temptation to “copy the behavior and customs of this world” has come at just the right time. You are feeling the world squeezing you into its mold. You are feeling the pressure to abandon the life of a Jesus follower. Or, maybe you have become weary of living the life and are considering a new and different lifestyle that you feel fits better with that of your friends and companions.

I pray this will be a wake-up call. I pray that you will not abandon the walk of faith. I pray that you will stay the course. I pray that you will not conform, that you won’t get too comfortable with this world, and I pray that you will not get caught in the trap of trying to copy the behavior of the world.

If you have to, ask for help. If you need to, change your friends, or your work environment. And certainly do what Paul suggests: “be transformed by renewing your mind,” and “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

It is possible. He can transform you. Let Him. Do not be conformed. Please.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

 

Vol. 16 | No. 26 

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1, New International Version)

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (Romans 12:1, The New Living Translation)

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”(Romans 12:1, New American Standard)

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.”(Romans 12:1, The Message)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1, King James Version)

I shared these five different versions of this verse (and I consulted several others) because I was looking for the translation, paraphrase, or version that says that our worship only happens on Sunday morning in a pew inside a church building. I know it has to be there, I have heard it all my life. But where does it say that? Oh well.

If I understand this passage, worship happens when I give myself to God. If that is the case and if I have given myself to God, then it seems logical that my entire life is worship. I suppose that’s why Eugene Peterson (The Message) said, “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.”

What does that mean? That means…

When you are at your job, driving to your job, listening to a co-worker share their pain about their struggling marriage you are worshipping.

When you are putting your children to bed, and fixing them breakfast, and driving them to school, or changing a diaper, or kissing a boo-boo you are worshipping.

When you are playing softball, or coaching little league, or sitting in the parking lot waiting for practice to end you are worshipping.

When you are teaching algebra, or repairing a carburetor, or preparing a meal for a sick friend you are worshipping.

When helping your mom carry in the groceries, or babysitting your little brother, or walking your dog you are worshipping.

When you are sitting alone on the beach, or hiking a mountain trail, or watching a sunset you are worshipping.

“Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life” and enjoy your life of wholehearted worship to God.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 25 | June 24, 2013

Life in the Kingdom begins when I give myself to God. One could be motivated to make the decision for any number of reasons: to go to heaven; to escape hell; because someone told you should do it. Paul gives another motivation: God’s mercy.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1, NIV)

“In view of God’s mercy.” Look at God’s mercy. What do you see? Think of God’s mercy. What comes to mind? Ponder God’s mercy, then give yourself to God.

God’s mercy: “A quality of compassion, especially as expressed in God’s forgiveness of human sin. Scripture stresses God’s forbearance towards sinners. In his mercy, God shields sinners from what they deserve and gives gifts that they do not deserve.” (Dictionary of Bible Themes)

In view of God’s compassion that is expressed in His forgiveness of human sin, give yourself to God.

Aaaaah! That makes sense. Not because you are forced to. Not out of guilt. Not to earn your way to heaven. Not to show that you deserve it. You give yourself to God because of what He has done for you.

“If God’s mercy in salvation has been presented in chapters 1–11, then the response of those receiving God’s mercy begins in chapter 12.” (Holman’s New Testament Commentary: Romans)

Although he phrased it a bit differently in Ephesians 2, Paul gives that church the same message:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesian 2:1-5, NIV)

How else can we respond? Why would we respond any other way?

We were dead in our sins. He made us alive because He was rich in mercy. We were lost. He saved. We were far from Him. He brought us close.

When we think of the mercy God has shown toward us we want to give our hearts to Him. When someone loves us like He loves us we want to serve Him. When we have been rescued we want to express our gratitude as often as possible. When the Creator of the universe has shown His great mercy to us we fall before Him and say, “Here I am. I am Yours. Use me. Shape me into the image You have planned for me.”

Some time this week find a quiet place and spend a few minutes reflecting on God’s mercies. Thank Him for His great mercy. Rejoice with Him that He has been merciful. Praise Him for the forgiveness of your sins.

Then, if you have not already done so, give Him your life.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.