Worship

Romans 12:1-2(ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Isaiah 58:6-7 (ESV)
"Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

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These 2 passages dawned upon me, as I sat there, waiting at the bus stop for 961

A man came stumbling to the bus stop. He wore no shoes or sandals on his feet. He had a deranged look on his face... everyone around shunned him

He started picking dead leaves from the floor....

I sat there... wondering what I could do for this man...

He stood at the edge of the road.... then he walked on it and towards the traffic

I called out... he looked at me... I beckoned him to step back on the pavement

I asked him where he was going... he mumbled unintelligible words...

‘Do you speak english’ I asked.... more unintelligible words...

.... then 961 arrived. I boarded, and left this man behind...

I began to wonder if I should have brought him to a police post or something so someone could take care of him...

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Many times we worship from an area of comfort, an area of security...

what do we sacrifice when we simply go to church on a sunday morning, lift up songs... and simply go away after that?

isn’t worship about our lives? about how we can live for Him,

about how we can obey Him when it is difficult?

about how we can give up our rights for the sake of our brother or sister?

about how we should actively choose to honour our parents even when its hard?

about how we should surrender our lives to Him and obey him, even if it means giving up on what we hold dear in our lives?

about changing the world around us? and showing His love

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I, as a mere person alone,
am not ready to lead worship...

I can only let God use me...
and I can only depend and rely on His strength...

otherwise I’ll simply be going through the motions

and thus not be anything more than ‘resounding gong or a clanging cymbal’(1 Cor 13:)
because without love, without God empowering us, our service to Him is nothing...