Dear
Fellow Children of God,
What
does true worship look like? The
Almighty Lord has given us a commandment about worship. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it
holy.” (Exodus 20:8) There is a
sense in which worship of the Lord of all is the law. Christians seek to follow this direction for
healthy lives through weekly gatherings with God’s people for thanks and praise
and fellowship.
But the Lord teaches that real worship is not primarily done
in outward actions in order to obey. God
seeks worship from the heart. For
example, consider David’s words in Psalm 51. “16 For you will not
delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt
offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and
contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:16-17) Or, as Jesus teaches the woman at the well in
John 4, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and
truth." (John 4:24)
I
ask you to consider our relationship with the Lord through worship because I recently
read a verse in daily devotions which struck me as worship from the heart. I have previously read this verse many times. But this time, as I was reading 2 Samuel, it caught
my attention. In 2 Samuel 7 David calls
the prophet Nathan into his presence and shares that he wants to build a house
for the Lord. However, the Lord turns
the tables on David. “ . . . the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.” (2 Samuel 7:11) The Lord promises
to establish His kingdom through David and His family. And the Lord will not just establish His
kingdom through the lineage of David in this world, but eternally . . . through
Jesus!
As
he should have been, David was overwhelmed.
As I read David’s response, I sensed worship from his heart. David responds to God’s grace with these
words. “And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are
true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.”
(2
Samuel 7:28)
I
was once taught that worship and prayer begins with PRAISE, honoring God for
who He is. That is what David does. “And now, O Lord GOD,
you are God” The Lord who saved Israel in the Exodus, who has called David to be king,
this Lord is GOD. He is almighty. He rules everything. David issues this praise to the One who has
seen David through Goliath, and Saul, and other trials. “YOU ARE GOD!”
David
also acknowledges the CHARACTER of the Lord.
“ . . . you are God, and your words are true.” In a world of falsehood and half-truths,
God’s words are true. We can trust the
reliable word of God to bring truth to our lives. So, in response to God’s promise, David
declares that The Lord is God. David
proclaims the Lord speaks truth.
I
was then taught that true worship begins with PRAISE for Who God is, and then
follows with THANKS for what He has done, for God’s acts of grace and goodness
in our lives. So, David offers thanks. “ . . . and you have promised
this good thing to your servant.”
So,
with a heart of thanks for God’s love, David had desired to build an earthly
temple for His Lord. But the Lord and
Ruler of all instead establishes a heavenly kingdom through David. Overwhelmed, from the heart, David praises
God, acknowledges Him, and thanks Him for His goodness and His grace. That is worship which our Lord desires –
worship from the heart!
Have
you been surprised at God’s gifts and actions of love and grace for you? Have you experienced the surprise of God’s
love in your life through Jesus? As rebellious and disobedient children, we do
not deserve our Lord’s love. We do deserve
His punishment, death, and condemnation.
Yet, knowing our failings, God nevertheless sent His Son. Jesus lovingly
sacrificed His life for us and offers us forgiveness. Jesus powerfully rose from the dead and
invites us into the heavenly kingdom of God.
Have you acknowledged WHO the Lord is?
Have you recognized His character of grace and truth? Have you thanked
him, from your heart? That is true worship which our Lord desires.
The
Lord and Maker of all created the Sabbath because we need the truth of God’s
Word. We need the assurance of His grace
and love. And as people who stray we need the forgiveness of our Heavenly Father. When we realize the Lord’s overwhelming grace
for our sinful lives, how can we do anything other than worship Him from our
hearts? God’s plan is that we worship with other believers.
Worship
does not just happen by sitting in a pew on Sunday mornings. True worship is a lifelong response to the
Lord of love. Do David’s words echo your
heart? “And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are
true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.” After all, through faith you are part of
God’s eternal kingdom.
A
Child of God, Desiring to Worship the Lord from My Heart, Because He is
Gracious to Me!
Pastor
Jonathan
P.P.S. NEWS AND MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES AT
First Lutheran Church – Gainesville!
CALL
COMMITTEE NEWS – The
First Lutheran Call Committee has worked through a lot of names submitted by
the District and by First Lutheran members.
After interviews and prayerful deliberation, the call committee is bringing
Pastor Jay Winters from Tallahassee to First Lutheran for a visit with
congregational leaders the week of July 21.
After this visit the call committee will then decide if it should
recommend this man to First Lutheran to consider calling as pastor. PLEASE CONTINUE TO KEEP THIS PROCESS IN YOUR
PRAYERS.
NEW
MEMBERS AT FIRST LUTHERAN – First Lutheran received 3 new members in
worship on Sunday, July 7. Keith Barnett
was received by adult confirmation. Wil
Droege and Marilyn Jaquette were received by transfer. Welcome to God’s family at First Lutheran! Here is a picture of our new members after
worship on Sunday. https://photos.app.goo.gl/YuBJhqUaUe1MgaF2A
VBS
TAKES PLACE AT FIRST LUTHERAN JULY 22-26! Please and invite children, grandchildren,
neighbors, and friends!
PLEASE REGISTER
ONLINE FOR VBS!!!!!
Here is a link to
the registration form.
https://flcgainesville.org/2024-vacation-bible-school/
FIRST
LUTHERAN HAS BEGUN A ROOF FUND, and an AIR CONDITIONER FUND. In an announcement
at the May 19 Voters’ Meeting we learned that to put a new roof on the
sanctuary, the office building, the fellowship hall, the preschool, and the
student housing will cost about $200,000.00
The roof is still in good shape.
But we have had leaks, and it has been about 20 years since the roof was
last replaced. First Lutheran leaders
want to act before the roofs fail.
In addition, we learned at the June
Mission and Ministry Council meeting that our Air Conditioners are old will
need replacing.
Please consider how God may lead you toward
these needs in the future.
WE
CONTINUE TO STUDY THE BOOK OF ACTS on Sunday mornings at 8:45 a.m. in the
Besalski Fellowship Hall. We are now studying chapter 18 and learning of
Paul’s work in Corinth. On July 7th
we made it through 2 whole questions! 😊 Come and join us in studying about the
history of the early Christian Church!
WE
CONTINUE TO READ THROUGH THE SCRIPTURE IN 2024 and 2025 using the Today’s
Light Devotional Bible. We are now in 2
Samuel and reading about the reign of King David. On Monday, July 8, we read 2 Samuel 11 and 12. In previous chapters we had read about
David’s stellar character and faith. But,
beginning in these chapters, we learn of David’s weaknesses, his failings, and
His need for the promised Savior.
Feel free to contact Pastor Rockey at
907-841-4066 if you have any questions about these readings. Or send an e-mail question to jonrock53@mtaonline.net
P.P.S.
PICTURES – AND OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
I WENT FISHING THREE TIMES THIS LAST
WEEK and . . . caught fish.
· On Thursday
morning, July 4, I tried to fish in Lake Geneva in Keystone Heights. However, the lake is low and the boat ramp
does not connect to the lake. I did get
out into the water and try out some reels I had cleaned and greased and
oiled. They all worked well. Here is a picture. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ByDPaP81YHYmaoER7
· On Saturday, July
6, I fished on the Suwannee River. It
was a HOT day, but I caught fish for the first time in a while. The one keeper, a 14” bass, I released where
I caught it. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/iBrBHuew7YsY1cXCA
· On Sunday, July 7,
after worship I took nephew, Jayden Pruim, fishing. The weather report LOOKED
promising. But the reality was
different. We fished for about 45
minutes. We had 5 bites and caught 3
fish. But the big cloud that developed
caused us to flee for shelter. We took
the boat out of the water just as the rain and thunder and lightening were
starting. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/DeLCFbQV7WzJ8ptx5
*******
ABOUT
THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019 from serving as full-time
senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a
weekly devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the
Pastor." When I retired many asked me to continue writing these
devotions. So I have continued writing. However, with life's
changes I now call this weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child
of God." Since I am no longer senior pastor at St. John, I felt it
right to only send this message to those who asked to receive it. (However,
I am currently as Vacancy Pastor for First Lutheran Church in Gainesville, FL.)
So, if you stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you
understand. And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish
to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my
distribution list. My e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our
Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan
Rockey
Child
of God
Husband,
Father, Son, Grandfather
Vacancy
Pastor, First Lutheran Church, Gainesville, FL
Pastor
Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church, Palmer, AK
How
great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called
children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 a)
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