I just listened to a powerful message by Voddie Baucham Jr. on this subject. The Lord has been challenging me in this area among others over the past several months and Dr. Baucham's message reminded me again of some great truths.

As I have mentioned in other threads, the Lord provided a job for me, which I will start May 5th, after 4 months of unemployment. Those months were a very humbling time for me as a husband and father. I re-evaluated my spiritual life, my career, my marriage, my fatherhood, and my finances. It was almost like a mini-midlife crisis given how I hear them described. Though I didn't know the purpose of the time without a job, it has become clear that the Lord was drawing me closer to himself by knocking off some edges from the clay. Now, how many of you know that when the Lord shows our error, it's not always pleasant? The Lord showed me that I was so wrapped up in my career and all it required of me that I was not being the husband and father that He wanted me to be and my walk with Him was not the priority it should have been. Not easy realities to admit.

Over the last 4 months and still today, the Lord really worked on me regarding my trust in Him. Sure, I had trusted Him for my salvation when I accepted Christ, but was I truly trusting Him in all things? This is the question that I confronted day in and day out, time after time, as good interviews yielded nothing. I kept praying and telling the Lord that I did not understand the circumstances, but that I wanted to learn whatever He was trying to teach me from this time in my life. The Lord kept prodding my heart with "Do you really trust me Nate? Am I in control of your life or are you?" The problem with being a living sacrifice is that I keep crawling off the altar. I seem to have to re-learn my lesson more often than I'd like to admit. Being a first born, I have a tendency to exhaust all my effort before surrendering the situation at hand to the Lord.

Authentic worship ties right into the other areas the Lord has been changing in my life.

1 O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.

2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.

3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.

4 For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

8 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.

9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

10 Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.

12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

13 Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

Dr. Baucham identified this as the definition of authentic worship, based on Psalm 96: True worship happens when we set our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on who He is and what He has done.

In light of that there are questions that require honest answers:

Am I setting my mind's attention on the Lord?

Is my heart's affection set on the Lord?

Does my worship stop when the music ends?

These questions have challenged me to examine myself and I hope they do the same for you.

How many of you read the thread title and thought this was going to be about music? Be honest now.

I'll be honest, I didn't associate it with music at all.

I can attest to that fact. It comes directly from the Bible:

(Heb 12:6) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.


When the Lord scouges me it is not pleasant by any means. Often I get to the point I can only put my head on my desk in complete sorrow and tears and recall the words of the publican in Luke 18:13:

(Luk 18:13) And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

In Christ,
George

The Lord has brought me to that state of brokenness with sorrow and tears at times. Thank the Lord for His grace to us.