Brad Easley
When I was in high school, I attended a performing arts school to study theatre. The rigorous coursework (how exciting does “History of Japanese Theatre” sound?) and the intense rehearsal schedule for productions sought to prepare us for one thing only: performing our very best for the audience. The times that I took to the stage (never as the leading man, but usually as some arbitrary character, like a dog or a tree) were magical moments, when all I wanted to do was to make those in the audience truly believe the story. In one sense, every line and movement was done with the audience in mind.
As pray-ers and worshippers, we too stand before an Audience. God hears every word, watches every movement, and takes delight when His children tell again and again the story of His grace. When we sing about His mercy, the heavens applaud. When we kneel in confession and repentance, the God Himself celebrates. God is intimately involved in every act of worship.
In his “Rules for Methodist Singers”, John Wesley instructs would-be worshippers in the practice: “Above all, sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself or any other creature.”
Wesley knew that if our worship were to be authentic, we would be more concerned about God’s pleasure than the newest church trend. God is not looking for flawless performance, but He demands our very best. He is pleased when our worship and prayer life is 100% – when we give him our heart, soul, mind and strength.
How does this happen? I’m finding that the power of consecrated life is in saying “no” to the many things, and saying “yes” to the one thing: pursuing the beauty of God’s presence.
Psalm 27 says, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”
There are many things that demand our attention: jobs, parenting, health, relationships, school … but notice that David asks the Lord for just one thing: the gift of God’s presence. Like us, David would learn to say “no” to the many things (many of them good) so he could say “yes” to the one thing that really matters.
This week, cultivate an “eye to God”. Practice the pursuit of Him, his presence, His nearness to you. Be single-minded in this pursuit; it’s the only thing worth living for.
Previous Posts
Day 27: Truth Liberates
Meghann Easley It’s interesting, isn’t it, how Shame tiptoes in. It slides through the crack in an open door and paralyzes you like a snake. It doesn’t need to even whisper, you know it’s there, behind the eyelids, under the shadows, lights on and curtains opened...
Day 26: Consecration Brings Joy
Jess Lewis “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) Last year was certainly the hardest year of my life. Losing a baby, and walking through that...
Day 25: Consecration and Healing
Katie Bodager It was a peaceful morning. My kids were at school, and I was cherishing some time alone. I vividly remember the gratitude I felt and the prayer I prayed that morning – thanking God for sustaining me through a difficult season. Six hours later, I found...
Day 24: Consecration Brings Supernatural Power
Anthony Moguel How did you wake up this morning? Did you wave your hands around to where coffee was instantly made, and you were instantly showered and dressed? Did you hear of a cry for help from someone 10 miles away and fly to them at the speed of a rocket? We...
Day 22: Calling All Chamberpots
“Calling All Chamber Pots Into Blameless Service! Thoughts for the Parenting and the Parented”Gretchen Vaught "Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting (on offered sacrifices) with strife." (Proverbs 17:1, AMP) As a parent, I find myself...
Day 20: Jesus our Brother
Sasha Horning One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24) I am a middle child with three brothers. Two older, and one younger. Seeing and thinking about Jesus as my big brother, the...
Day 19: Consecration of Gifts
Lydia Fuller There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. (1 Corinthians 4:11) If...
Day 18: Innocence Lost; Forgiveness Required
Ron Taylor I met Jesus as my Savior on September 8, 1970 in the basement of my summer job where I worked as a cook. My recent acquaintance and coworker, Betsey, had a direct impact on my Jesus encounter as she had been witnessing and sharing during our shared lunch...
Day 17: The Priesthood of Every Believer
Charlie Fiskeaux In ancient days, very few men talked with God. Even fewer walked with Him. Humanity again and again would forget or turn its back on God, and God would have to intervene to save humanity from its own evil. So God called Abraham to father a nation—the...
Day 16: “Treasured Possessions”
Meghann Easley “Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried...