He is my God

"Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture,

and the sheep of his hand."

Psalm 95:6-7a

Through faith in Jesus, I belong to God; I am His and He is mine (John 1:12-13).  How can I worship Him in the way I live my life (Romans 12:1)?

Listen.  Sheep know their shepherd's voice.  There could be many people giving them commands, telling them what to do,  calling their names, but only the voice of their master can make them come running (see video demonstration).

Likewise, Jesus is my Good Shepherd and as such, He is my Master (John 10:14-16).  When I designate Him as my King, my Leader, my Lord, I will be able to pick His voice out from all the other commands I hear in life. "Run after this, go there to find meaning, do this and you will succeed."

Even if my enemy mimics the voice of my Shepherd, I will be able to distinguish the phony, counterfeit voice from the real thing.  The more I choose to follow my Jesus, the better I'll get at hearing His precious truths whispered to my heart.  Then I'll be able to tune out the static of this modern life that distracts, enticing me away from the life-giving voice of my Savior and Lord.

In order to worship God in the way I live my life I must pay attention to the voice of my Shepherd.

Open.  I tried to pour the fuel into the tank of the lawn mower, but nothing happened when I tipped the gas can over.  The newfangled spout on the fuel container required that I hold the valve open as I poured, otherwise the grass-cutting machine would not be able to receive the energy needed to do it's job.

In similar way, I must be open in order to receive the life-giving power from Jesus.  He is ready to teach me, transform me and bless me, but I must be willing to take what He has to give.  If He is the Potter and I am the clay, I must be pliable and soft.  Instead of resisting His attempts at molding me into the Son-resembling shape He meant for me to take, I will be mold-able in His hands.

In order to worship God in the way I live my life I must be open to receive His teachings, like putty in His hands.

Trust.  I know what God is capable of doing.  I read about examples of His might throughout Scripture and I've seen Him work wonders before my own eyes.  He's softened the hardest heart, provided needs when it seemed there was no hope, opened doorways that had seemed to be sealed shut;  yes, I've witnessed amazing feats of His power.

Why, then, do I panic when all seems to be falling apart?  Or why does my stomach twist into a knot when He leads me to a mountain as I travel on the path He has marked out for me? Or why do I freak out when I face what looks to be impossible?

Because I'm so much like the Israelites who only saw the problem and forgot the might of the God who led them (Exodus 17:1-7)!  They doubted His ability to save them, provide for me, and lead them.  And I often make the same mistake.  When instead I trust Him, I find a supernatural power to propel me forward until I realize He made the impossible possible.  I got through the difficulty, I crossed the mountain, I conquered the hopeless through faith in the God of the impossible!

In order to worship God in the way I live my life I must trust Him to do whatever is necessary to take care of me as I encounter potholes and obstacles during my journey.

I belong to God through faith in Jesus.  As His child, I have a Father who loves me and cares for me perfectly.  Yet I often live my life as if He doesn't exist let alone care for me so attentively.  How can I change the way I live so that my very day-to-day existence brings glory to Him?  I can listen to His voice, be open to receiving what He has to give and how He wants to change me, and to trust Him implicitly with all the details of my life.  In these ways, my life will send the message that "He is my God."

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God with every detail.

How do I ignore the voice of Jesus as He attempts to lead me?

When do I panic in the face of danger, turning away from the all-powerful God who is ready to help me?