Faceless Worship Day 7- Sober Judgement

Romans 12

Joes edit

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. (Romans 12:3)

Whenever I have the opportunity to do anything I feel called to, whether it is writing, leading, or pastoring, I have a mix of feelings; confidence that “I was born for this,” and inadequacy that “I am completely out of my depth”. While overconfidence is unattractive and causes us to do things in our own strength, feeling inadequate only leads to paralysis and an unwillingness to step up and give it a go. What is the correct way to view ourselves?

This scripture says the right way to think of yourself is with sober judgement in accordance with faith. We so easily swing from one end of the pendulum to the other. From “Did you see that? I am amazing!” to “Don’t look at me. I have nothing to offer.”  The pendulum swing is emotionally tiring and we are all susceptible to it. We’ve all experienced some levels of success and had our share of failure. Sober judgement is realising God has uniquely gifted you, yet there is always someone more accomplished. You’re good, but there’s still a lot to learn. We are called to have a balanced view of our ability.

Here’s where it gets exciting though; God doesn’t call us based on our ability; He calls us based on His ability. At times our strengths are a great asset to our calling, but often God’s calling can seem contradictory to our natural ability. These are the times when God wants us to respond in faith. Do we really believe that He could accomplish great things through us even despite our weaknesses?

In high school I hated the subject English; particularly the writing tasks which I found so frustrating I’d often end up in tears, not being able to finish assessments. I never expected in my wildest dreams God would ask me to be a writer. Today writing brings me so much joy. I feel the presence of God as I write and the process draws me to the feet of Jesus.

When finishing my first book Daughter Wait! there were many times I wanted to give up. I felt inadequate. It was too hard, too many rejections, too many processes and I just didn’t think I could do it. But every time I stopped and gave up, the word from God came back to me. He had called me to write and I knew I had to finish regardless of whether anyone would read it, like it, or if it was any good. People’s response to my writing was up to them. My job was just to be obedient and do the thing He placed in my hand to do.

At some point, we have to trust God with our weaknesses, let go of our own ability and focus on who we believe He has called us to be. This leaves us completely reliant on God, and right where we need to be.

Our talents are not given by God to impress others. They are for us to steward for His glory. We have each been entrusted with something to bring into this world. To fulfil our potential, we must be in close relationship with God. He gives us gifts to use for His glory so that we will return to Him for the instructions on how to best use them. Once again it is about obedience and trust. Our confidence should be in Him, not in our own ability.

It feels easier to hide sometimes; no critiques, no fans; yet Jesus calls us to bring His light into this world. The right way to live is with great humility and great confidence in God.

One of my favourite poems was written by Marianne Williamson and made famous by Nelson Mandela in his inaugural speech in 1994.

Our Deepest Fear

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”

In all that we do, I pray it is His face that is remembered when our faces, words and songs are long forgotten. I pray we would do great things, yet never become proud; that our lives would be lived for God alone and He would receive all the glory.

Questions to Ponder:

  1. What would it look like to have the courage to step into what you believe God has called you to do?
  2. What do you fear? Or what is holding you back?
  3. What is one small step you could take in faith to step into who God has called you to be?

Prayer

Father help me to have courage as I step into all You have created me to be. Help me to boldly let Your light shine. Keep my heart humble and continue to draw me into a deeper relationship with You. Help me to use my gifts for Your glory.

Amen

Further reading

Galatians 1:10

 

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. (Romans 12:3)

Whenever I have the opportunity to do anything I feel called to, whether it is writing, leading, or pastoring, I have a mix of feelings; boldness that “I was born for this,” and inadequacy that “I am completely out of my depth”. Sound familiar? Continue reading

Faceless Worship Day 6: Lessons from John the Baptist

John 1:6-8

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. John 1:6-8

John is the epitome of faceless worship. He knew his ministry was not about him but about the One he represented. His anchored humility enabled confidently preach the message of Jesus knowing he had been sent with a mission and anything he had been entrusted with was from heaven. When his followers became misguided believing John was the central focus, he was quick to redirect people’s eyes to Jesus. Continue reading

Faceless Worship Day 5- Stewards of the mysteries

Stewards of the Mysteries

Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 1 Corinthians 4:1

Do you desire to be so close to Jesus that He reveals what He’s thinking, feeling and what He’s up to? I do. One of my favourite things is seeing the connections when God is speaking to my heart. It’s often a conversation, then a verse, a sermon, a song, an accumulation of small God prompts that point so clearly to something that God is doing in my life. It makes me feel so loved to know He is speaking to me. That I am seen by Him and entrusted with His mysteries. Continue reading

Faceless Worship Day 4- Look to the unseen

2 Corinthians 4:18

While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinth 4:18  

Many years ago, I was preparing a setlist for leading worship. The week so far had been emotional for the church and my pastoral heart knew people felt uncertain and on edge. As I prepared, I chose songs that I knew would unify the congregation, adding in some older songs I thought would open people’s hearts and remind them of who God is. Continue reading

Faceless Worship Day 2- We preach Jesus

Not preach ourselves

For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake – 2 Corinthians 4:5 (NKJV)

I can’t help but recoil when I think about people “preaching themselves”. Sometimes it’s as subtle as preaching one step removed from the Bible: “This is what the Bible says, this is what I did, therefore do as I did.” Other times it’s more obvious as people use their “ministry” to promote themselves–their name up in lights and their face printed on merchandise. Continue reading

Faceless Worship Day 1 Building a Home

Isaiah 66

This guided devotional is the first of the series ‘A Pilgrimage to Worship.’ 

Day one begins with a renovation of the heart, a desire for change deep within. These sorts of changes aren’t for everyone. In a world that chases fast upgrades—a quick coat of paint and some external fixtures—you won’t find that here. The Lord’s work often occurs in the unseen, as ‘deep cries unto deep’. Slow, meaningful changes reveal we are willing to lay down our will in obedience to His still small voice.

Faceless Worship is a call to humility. It’s for the hungry, the desperate, those desiring to cultivate a relationship with Jesus that causes all else to fade into insignificance. It’s time to create a space that the Holy Spirit find irresistible. 

Continue reading

Open soul moments- should we cancel worship?

should we cancel worship

Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. 24 But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream. (Amos 5:23-24 NKJV)

There are moments in time — I call them open soul moments — where something so significant happens; it feels as though heaven itself is peering into your soul, depositing something of eternity. Time stands still as you absorb the backdrop of details surrounding the moment. These details are etched into the fabric of lives often to be retrieved by a single thread of memory at a later time: the recollection of a feeling, sighting an item of clothing worn on that day, seeing the same landmark or the familiar scent in the air. Even the change in season can bring back a rush of memories that draws you back to a specific moment in time.

One of these open soul moments happened for me in January 2008. Newly married, my husband and I ventured off to South Ballina on the East Coast of Australia to camp with some friends. Continue reading

What is Art?

What is Art?

She looked up at the painting, brows furrowed with disbelief making it clear she didn’t agree with my admiration for the piece hanging on the wall.

“That’s not art!”

She was only five but already our world had begun to shape her perception of what was worthy to be deemed ‘art’ : an image that reflected perfection and accuracy.

This was the first time her perception had been challenged. Continue reading

The school of creativity

Art

While there is a number of things that have been less than ideal as we’ve homeschooled one of the things I’m most grateful for is the time we’ve had for creative projects.

I’m the best version of myself as I become the facilitator of creativity. The frazzled mum fades as the house fills with pots of paint, drying racks, paintbrushes stacked in the kitchen sink and the addition of the accidental but inescapable splodge of paint on the furniture. Somehow those details seem unimportant, as does time, as we become engulfed in the wonder of creativity.

I’m a primary teacher, homeschooling my children should be easy… But I’m also their mother and many lines are blurred when it comes to living, working and schooling in a small two-bedroom apartment. Continue reading