Leading Hearts to Worship | Dt 30:15-20

leading hearts to worship

Who would you say is the most effective leader of our day?

What makes that person stand out from other leaders?

Centuries ago, God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and traverse the desert for forty years to prepare for entering the land promised to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Moses was not a perfect leader.

Yet, with the help of the LORD, Moses transformed into a leader whom both Jews and Christians revere.

What does this have to do with leading hearts to worship?

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When Detachment is to Our Benefit

attachment vs. detachment

What comes to mind when you see the word detachment?

One definition of detachment is the action or process of detaching or separation.

Yes, this definition is from Merriam-Webster.com.

If you have a military background, you already know that detachment can refer to the dispatch of a body of troops or part of a fleet from the main body for a special mission or service.

Yep, also from Merriam-Webster.com.

The third definition supplied by Merriam-Webster.com describes detachment as indifference to worldly concerns or aloofness.

Detachment can also show freedom from bias or prejudice.

But what is the spiritual benefit of detachment?

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Loyalty Matters to God

Loyalty

Why is it that most of the pictures were of dogs when I searched for a photo to represent loyalty?

What is it about dogs that they have generated a reputation that epitomizes loyalty?

Do you know the joke that dog is God spelled backward?

I could have used a photo of one of my five previous dogs, but I just had to share the one above.

The expression on this precious German shepherd made me laugh out loud.

I bet this dog is extremely loyal to their human(s).

But seriously, what does it mean to be loyal? And why does loyalty matter to God?

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Removing the Distractions from Worshiping God

Distracted

Recently I opted to work on my writing at a local cafe.

I thought it would be okay since the cafe had Wi-Fi and many of the research resources I use are now available online.

Plus, several friends of mine who are writers love to work at cafes or shared work spaces.

But it was too distracting for me.

Hearing orders called out, seeing a father play with his son out in the courtyard, and some odd technical difficulties made my writing experience frustrating.

I now know for certain that my home office space is the best place to work on my writing.

This does not mean I never get distracted at home. I do.

But I have more control over my home office space than I do in a public space.

How does this relate to the need to remove distractions from worshiping God?

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Reasons to Worship God

Scripture

Have you given any consideration to why you worship God?

What reasons would you share with others for worshiping God?

Do the reasons vary depending on whom you are sharing with? If so, why?

Or perhaps you came across this post because you have never worshiped God and are curious why others do.

The primary definition of the word worship is to honor or show reverence to a divine being or supernatural power.

Here, I am writing about the God of the ancient Israelites whom Christians also worship today.

I believe the most accurate source to learn the reasons to worship God comes from God himself in the Bible.

Today, we will explore the reasons God himself provided to the ancient Israelites for worshiping Him in Deuteronomy 11:1-20.

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Remember Not to Forget | Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Remember Not to Forget the Lord

Do you know the name of the flowers in the picture above?

Yep, Forget-Me-Nots.

I found some interesting German lore stories on farmersalmanc.com. These stories about knights, maidens, and forget-me-nots are both sweet and bitter.

Farmersalmanc.com also stated that these flowers are prolific bloomers between May and October in my region. Traditionally, these flowers symbolize true love, respect, fidelity, and faithfulness based on those German lore stories mentioned above.

But forget-me-not flower lore and symbolism aside, today we will consider the value of remembering not to forget the LORD as we study Deuteronomy 8:1-20.

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Responding to Who God Says He Is

Moses’ life was not ordinary.

First, against the Egyptian Pharoah’s edict, his mother hid Moses for three months after his birth. (Exodus 1:22-2:2)

Then Pharoah’s daughter ends up adopting Moses and raising him with the help of Moses’ mother. (Exodus 2:3-10)

After Moses becomes an adult, he murders an Egyptian for beating an Israelite and attempts to hide his actions. (Exodus 2:11-12)

Yet the Lord called Moses to be His spokesperson to reveal Himself to the Israelites and all the other nations around the world. (Exodus 3:1-22)

After much back and forth in this private encounter with the Lord, Moses asks the Lord to send someone else. (Exodus 4:13)

But over time, Moses’ response to God changed.

The question is, why did Moses’ response change?

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God’s Response to Idolatry

In Exodus 32

Over the last several weeks, we have explored the passages leading up to Exodus 32 to understand why the Israelites disobeyed the LORD and turned to idolatry.

Ultimately, their decision was not just one of impatience, but in the words of Paul many years later,

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever![1]

Keeping in mind that scripture says we were created in the LORD’s image (Genesis 1:26), have you ever considered how humanity’s tendency to worship things or people other than Him affects the LORD?

Also, why would the LORD create us to have this tendency?

What purpose does this serve?

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Why Did They Turn to Idolatry? | Part Three

Again, thank you for all the prayers while I recovered from my exceptionally long work week and head cold.

Although I am still feeling some physical tiredness along with some lingering symptoms from the head cold, I am much stronger today than I was a week ago.

It is fascinating how the fact that I had to pause between each part of this “Why Did They Turn to Idolatry” series aligns with the series.

One reason I feel this way is that it has reinforced the concept of patience we first looked at in part one.

Another reason I feel this way is that it allowed me to share how the LORD encouraged me during an exhausting week through both His Word and songs written by fellow believers about Him.

Each of these examples was exceptionally timely for my need, just as the LORD provided for the Israelites exactly what they needed in part two of this series.

But now we need to answer the question, “Why did they turn to idolatry?”

Continue reading “Why Did They Turn to Idolatry? | Part Three”

Why Do People Worship God? |Exodus 4:31 | Part Two

I’m back!

In Why Do People Worship God? | Exodus 4:31 | Part One, we considered the primary and secondary definitions of both the word worship and God using Merriam-Webster.com.

We then reviewed how the stage was set in Genesis 15:12-14 and how the plot developed from Genesis 41:41-43 through Exodus 4:17 before the people in Exodus 4:31 responded to the news Moses and Aaron presented to them by worshipping God.

Today, we will continue our study of Exodus 4, seeking to gain insight into why people worship God.

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